In the End
by Naela
Summary: Post ESB, Luke encounters Mara and begins to have romantic feelings for her. After receiving news of the Rebellion’s downfall, the two must work together to fight against Vader and his own sister, Leia. Chapter 5 is up!
1. Chapter One: Aftermath

In the End By: jade_angel86 

Category: AU, Romance, semi-Dark 

Keywords: Vader, Anakin, L/M, death 

Summary: After Vader's revelation on Bespin, Luke tries his best to deal with the truth. Yet the pain and loneliness may become too much for him and it takes the company of an enemy for him to heal. Though what will happen when Luke finds himself falling for her and when his final confrontation with Vader becomes imminent? Takes place in after ESB and during ROTJ and after.

A/N: I've always wanted to write a serious Luke and Mara romance since I began reading a lot of L/M fics on the net. Some of them were fantastic and yet there were others that I thought I could have done better. Well after some debating with myself, I decided to write this. Timeline wise, you could say that this takes place during SOTE, but I'm not going to focus very much on the Xizor/Vader conflict. The father/son relationship in Star Wars has always fascinated me so I decided to also focus a little on it in this fic, also Leia and Luke's relationship in Star Wars had struck another fascination so I delved a little on the brother/sister thing too. I hope you enjoy reading this and a little note of advice is that I write for my own pleasure, but reviews do occasionally motivate me to write faster. *g*

Chapter One:

                There were times, when a new rebel recruit would spy Luke Skywalker, and suddenly become struck in awe over seeing the pilot who'd destroyed the Death Star. Most recently he'd also become known as the Rebel who faced Darth Vader one on one and lived to tell about it. Those with little prudence and too much boldness for their own good would occasionally try and become 'chummy' with him. Luke tolerated their company like he would tolerate a cut on his arm. Like a cut, they were just there and he could do nothing except wait for it to be gone. 

On most occasions their chumminess would last for a week before they would lose interest in him and be with other people who had more 'life' in them. 

                Luke could hardly blame them for losing interesting in him. It was because of recent events that had caused him to become more isolated. Yet their choice to choose someone else to be friends did leave a bitter sensation in his heart. He loved making friends as he did flying. He had the same charm in friend making as he did in attracting dust. It came naturally and thus was the reason why his list of friends to invite for a party would usually include the whole of the Rebellion. 

                Though once in a while, there would come a 'friend' that didn't know how to keep his or her mouth shut. Luke had learnt to spot them over the years and avoided them. Yet that magnet of his always attracted them and he would never have the heart to tell them off. So he tolerated them until the eventual question came up: "Why?"

                Upon being asked the first time, Luke had replied with, "Why what?"  
  


                "Why fight?"  
  


                He'd been stumped the first time, but now having heard the question over 10 billion times the answer came easier. Luke of three years ago would have answered that it was for the excitement of course. That young, and green Luke knew nothing about war and the consequences it had, but after two years in service with the Rebellion, Luke's answer changed. At that time, he was the young commander of the infamous Rogue Squadron. When asked the question, he'd answer: "For those who deserve the freedom that you and I have." As the young commander, Luke had seen enough horrors to make even the toughest of new recruits become sick. 

                Now, Luke's answered had changed once more. When asked, he would answer with: "Because I need to prove to myself that I'm not like him." Though when the reply was not as satisfactory as the other would have wanted, they'd accept the response. Even though they'd quite often wonder whom this mysterious 'he' was.

                Miraculously, the week after Luke's horrific battle with Vader on Bespin had been recruit less. Perhaps some of the wiser Rebels understood Luke's annoyance having to tolerate the young 'newbies' and gave them warnings. Perhaps the newer recruits saw the pain in his eyes and thought it better to stay away from him. Whatever the reason, Luke was thankful that he'd been left alone.

                Well, not completely alone, there was Leia, who visited him quite often in the med-centre. Her company was more comforting to him than anything else. She understood what pain felt like and she never asked him questions. He loved her for that, she wasn't nosy and never tried to figure out what had happened, she would leave him in peace when he requested it and not be hurt like others.

                The day when Luke was released from the med-centre, Leia had been waiting to escort him back to his quarters. She grinned at him and slipped her hand into his when he walked into the corridor. She'd made a point of holding his right one. Luke didn't push her away but accepted her hand and even gave it a comforting squeeze before they began to walk.

                "Good to see that you _are _able to walk," she teased.

                Luke grinned at her and shrugged. "I was wondering the same thing myself," he paused and then added. "Actually the question that was frequently popping in my mind when I was stuck in there, was whether or not I could restrain myself from ripping off that blasted 21-B's head."

                Leia chuckled and shook her head. It was wonderful to see Luke returning to his old self again… or at least become something that was close to his older self. She wasn't sure what had been bothering her, but Luke had obviously changed. Those first few days after Bespin had been haunting enough that neither of the two spoke of it.

                "He is rather annoying," Leia admitted. "I've wondered the same thing quite a few times myself."

                The two laughed, but Leia noted sadly that their conversations always had to be so guarded. She could never speak of anything that had to do with the Empire when she was around Luke and he never spoke of Han around her. She knew that would change eventually, she just had to make a point of when to bring the subject up.

                Luke soon came to a stop as they arrived at his quarters. Being a commander certainly did have its perks when it meant that Luke could get his own closet sized room. He gave her a wistful smile and began to head inside. Though once the doors opened, he paused and turned to face the princess.

                "Do you want to come in?" he asked, an eyebrow arched.

                Leia hesitated, remembering the stack of papers that were on her desk. Though upon seeing Luke's crestfallen expression when he realized that her answer might be no, she brushed the thought out her mind and gave him a smile. Luke's face broke into a grin as he stepped aside and gave her room to pass.   
  


                Like most of the accommodations on board any Alliance ships, Luke's quarters were bare and had little decorations. Not many pilots had the money or time to spend on frivolous activities such as decorating a room. Though in Luke's case, having just received his room only a day ago, Leia could hardly blame him for the bad décor.

                "Feels just like old times," Luke muttered. He pulled up a chair for Leia and gestured for her to sit. Realizing that Leia had taken occupancy of the only chair in the room, the rebel commander had to use his bed as a seat.

                "Sitting around in a dingy room, hiding from the Empire and basically bored out of our minds," Leia began to laugh. "It certainly does seem like we're getting back to our old habits." She ended her laugh was a wide grin, though it felt like she was forcing herself to smile. She wanted to be happy around Luke, but knowing what they'd went through left a void inside her. Laughter just seemed harder to reach.

                "Better than freezing on Hoth," Luke returned. 

                Leia smirked. "Oh right, I'd quite imagine moisture farmers from a desert planet would hate the cold."

                "Cold?" Luke repeated with arched eyebrows. "Hoth was freezing. If I'd stayed there any longer than I'd probably would have frozen to death."

                The grin on Leia's face was gone as soon as Luke had uttered the word 'death'. Since their return from Bespin, he'd made many subtle and sometimes none too subtle hints of suicide. It'd taken a slap to the face and a brief scene, where Luke broke down and cried, before he would stop. 

                Catching his mistake, Luke quickly tried to fix it, "Leia, I didn't mean to." He reached forward and took her hand, his hand brushed over calloused skin. Leia admitted once that as a child, that her hands had been described as being smoother than flower petals. Yet since joining her Rebellion the princess had to forget her royal title and perform physical labor, which took a toll on her skin. Her rough skin didn't bother Luke the slightest but it wasn't hard to imagine how soft it could have been. His hand founds its way to her cheek and just touching it made him believe in those claimed praises. 

                Leia closed her eyes as he began to caress her cheek. She could imagine Han doing this to her, but the man who was touching her wasn't the Corellian Pirate she wanted. Leia pulled his hand away and started to feel guilt welling up. Luke didn't deserve to be used as a substitute for Han. It was unfair not only to him but also to the missing smuggler.

                "Luke," She didn't let go of his hand but instead interlaced her fingers with his. She gazed into his eyes and was mildly surprised to see him waiting for her to continue. He acted as if he knew what was to come. Leia continued despite her assumption. "I can't let you go on like this. You care for me I know that. And I care for you too."

                Luke tightened the grip of their entangled fingers.  "But we're just friends?" he finished. He didn't appear angry but there was something in his eyes that told Leia that he was at least regretful.

                "Yes," she replied, there was a humorless smile on her face. "I suppose this talk had to come someday. I'd been thinking about speaking with you since…" She wondered if it'd be wise to say 'Bespin' but realized she'd left her sentence lingering for too long.

                "Well," she continued. "Han and I, we love each other."

                "I know that," Luke said quietly. He saw the look of shock on her face and quickly explained. "I really don't know how I know, but I feel it whenever he's mentioned. It's not the feeling of missing a friend, it's a feeling of missing someone deeper."

                Leia nodded and suddenly felt grateful to have a friend who understood even if he'd been aided by unnatural empathy. "Then I guess all this worry I had about making sure you understand was all for nothing," she muttered and glanced up at him with a smirk.

                Skywalker chuckled softly. "I guess so," he shrugged and quickly loosened their fingers. "I guess I'd better back off or else Han's gonna have my head on a platter."

                Leia shook her head and quickly glanced towards the inset chrono in the far wall. Her face scrunched in a frown. "I wish I could stay longer," she said and was near sighing. "But I'm swamped with work."

                Though disappointed over her brief visit, Luke resisted the urge to object and insist for her to stay longer. Instead, he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Glad I'm not you," he joshed. Leia snorted and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

                "Then consider yourself lucky," she retorted and headed for the exit. Though her tone was indignant the wink she'd shot at him showed amusement. Leia paused at the door and turned to regard the farmboy turned hero. He gestured for her to continue and with a single nod she left his room. 

                Once the doors were safely closed--and with the help of the Force--locked, Luke hugged his knees to his chest. There was a tiny stirring in the Force and soon the lights flickered out. In the darkness, Luke buried his head in the small shelter his enfolded arms made.

                Despite the fact that she was half way across the ship Leia knew that Luke was upset. She felt the wave of anguish wash over her and knew by the sense of it that this feeling was coming from Luke. She contemplated whether or not she should go back and comfort him or to continue back to her room.

                Perhaps not so thankfully, the decision was made for her. Up ahead was General Crix Madine who was walking purposefully towards her. She groaned and knew that he wouldn't be at this section of the ship if he didn't have some sort of important mission for her. She wondered if it'd be too late to just duck into a room or maybe if she ignored him. 

                Leia quickly resumed walking back towards her quarters and tried to be indistinguishable when she passed the General. On most occasions, her power of being unnoticed would work, but Madine was a smarter man and spotted her with ease.

                "Princess!" he feigned surprise. "What a pleasure to see you! I'd been hoping to run into you today."

                "Really?" Leia asked with disinterest. "You have Alliance business with me, General?"  
  


                "What else would it be?" Madine smiled. Most of the time he would have been a very amiable man to be around but it was rare for him to smile. The general was usually found with either a serious or grim expression on his face, a smile seemed very foreign on him. 

                "And what business is it?" Leia asked, never slowing her pace down.

                The two turned a corner in the corridor and Leia noted that they were nearly at her quarters. Perhaps if she walked fast enough, she might be able to make it inside and avoid being handed more work.

                "A mission," Madine replied. 

                Well that sent her idea down the drain. Letting out a built up sigh, the rebel princess stopped her quick pace and turned to face the General. " A mission?" she repeated, irritation was clearly evident in her voice. "And what does the Alliance want of me now, General? I'm on leave, yet my desk is still piled high with stacks of datapads."

                The General's pleasant façade disappeared and was replaced with his usual solemn look. He seemed more familiar to Leia now. "I'm sorry, Princess," he apologized, though there was no hint of remorse in his voice. "You know the Alliance is going through a rough time, without a base, things are harder. We would seek others to help us out too, but you're the most dependable and reliant officer in this organization."

                "I'm flattered," she bit out. "Now, what's this mission? What needs to be done?"

                Had it been anyone else who'd spoken to Madine like Leia had then they'd found themselves with only rations as their meals for a week. Yet it was Leia's commitment to the Rebellion that kept Madine from issuing the unpleasant punishment. 

Instead, he answered her question, "Merely that you find a suitable strike team," he paused and then added, "one that is capable of escort duty. You'll find all needed information in this." He handed her a datapad and gave the Princess a curt nod before he left. Leia stared down at the datapad. Yet another item to add to her stack. Leia continued to her quarters.

*~*~*~*~*

                If you'd seen one filthy, sixth world, vermin invested, scum hole of a planet, you'd seen them all. There was really no difference between planets with an economy that lied solely on one spaceport.  They all shared the basic elements, filth, cantinas and smugglers. Thus, Antorah wasn't much a sight to Mara Jade, the Emperor's Hand, when she stepped off her personal ship and onto the landing pad. 

                She grimaced when she was hit with a blast of wind that was tainted by the foul stench of the planet's waste. Though having been raised to tolerate anything that was the slightest bit uncomfortable, Mara quickly ignored the smell. 

                Antorah did have a few interesting spots to it, these people excelled in interesting ship designs.  There were a few ship factories she would have liked to explore but she needed to find her contact. She'd been sent on a mission only a few weeks ago to track down her newest target. This person apparently was some sort of Imperial defect who had information that could do serious harm to the Empire. Though strangely enough, unlike her other missions, the Emperor didn't seem to be pressuring her very much about getting this one completed.

                She entered another grimy street and began scanning for the cantina her contact had named. It didn't take here very long to find the _Wet Dancer_. Its flashing signs weren't hard to miss. Bracing herself at the entrance, Mara prepared for the worst smells imaginable. Once she was certain she was ready, Mara pushed the door open and entered.

                Once inside, Mara quickly scoped the cantina for dangers before she found herself a booth in the back. After spending only a few minutes inside, Mara knew just how the _Wet Dancer_ got its name. The entire cantina was filled with hollers and hootings from the rather male crowd as they watched dancers--who were obviously wet--go through a very suggestive dance. Mara watched the dancers for a few moments and decided that she could probably do a better job at their dance than them.

                Turning her head away in disgust, she began to wonder whether her contact was going to make an effort to show up. 

                As if on cue, she heard someone behind her mutter something softly which was lost in the crowd's cheer. The person then repeated once more in a louder tone.

 "Hello there, sweet thing."

                Mara glanced up to see a youth who was just about her age taking the seat across from her. She arched her eyebrows and noted the blue pin that was on his collar. That was what her contact had said he'd be wearing and that was how she'd be able to identify him.

Gauging him casually, Mara asked, "Want anything to drink?"

                "Alderaani brandy," he replied.

                This man knew their code of confirmation. She nodded, finally convinced that he was the one she'd been waiting for. Leaning forward, she rested her chin in her hands, knowing that this would give the man a higher status than her. She'd studied body language and knew how to make a man feel superior even without saying a word.

                Crowds annoyed Mara and loud cheering crowds were worse. Ignoring discomfort was easy, but if the opportunity arose to not be uncomfortable, than she'd choose that over tolerance. "I'm planning on a trip… can you suggest a place?" she asked, quickly getting to the point. Yet how fast she'd get away from this cantina depended on how intelligent her contact was.

                Her contact smirked. At least not everyone around here was as stupid as Mara had assumed. Instead of answering, he shook his head. "Not until I get what I want," he replied.

                Scowling, Mara reached into her tunic and pulled a datapad and slid it across the table. "There's my account number, that password will give you access to my sub account and the amount of credits you asked for, no more, no less."

                Picking up the datapad, he gave her a doubtful glance. "And how am I to know that this is real?" he asked and waved the plastic copy in front of her face. 

                "You'll know when you find yourself as a rich man," Mara retorted. "It's real."

                "Sorry, girlie, but no information until I'm certain that it's real," her contact paused before a sly grin lit his face. "But I'm certain you won't have any qualms with accompanying me to my ship?"

                A seething Mara ground her teeth as she realized her contact had given her no choice but to agree. Had they'd been any other place except for a crowded cantina then she would have broken his hand and forced the information out of him. Instead had little choice but to follow him. If she didn't then she would end up losing the Empire enough credits that could have been spent on building a small squadron of TIE fighters.

                "Fine," she bit out and gestured for him to go lead the way.

*~*~*~*~*

                It'd been quite a few days before Luke was finally called for a debriefing. Strangely, by that time, Luke felt no fear. He'd spent enough nights in bed thinking over what he'd say when High Command would start asking him questions. By now, his story had already been formed and he'd tried his best to anticipate every question they might ask. 

                And so it did not surprise him that High Command bought his story. He gave a brief account of what happened to him after Hoth: that he'd been training with a Jedi Master. They bought his excuse that the Jedi Master wished to keep his location in secrecy. Then he told them of his vision and how he'd rushed off to Cloud City to face Vader. He'd told them of being trapped on the gantry and the offer Vader had given him and then of his jump and being rescued by Leia. 

                Naturally, his superiors were curious about the reason why Vader wanted him to join the Empire. Luke's answer was that he was the last of the Jedi and very powerful and that Vader wanted to destroy the Emperor. Obviously the Emperor had to be powerful to have kept Vader in line for so many years and Vader needed his help. Knowing how everyone thought of Vader as a traitorous villain, Luke had little anxiety when he'd finished his reply and felt the sense of acceptance in the room. 

There was only one problem Luke had not anticipated. While giving his recount he'd willingly allowed himself to relive through the battle of Bespin. When he told the story, all of the memories he'd kept locked up so tightly in the back of his mind, flooded to the surface freely. He remembered with vivid detail, the smell, the nervousness, and the tension in the freezing chamber as he was lifted into it. He remembered the gloomy air and the terrible sense of darkness. It'd been more real, more palpable than the tree cave on Dagobah. Then the memory of his confrontation with Vader came to the front and Luke could remember how he was suddenly filled with a sense of confidence.  

Luke had to work hard on mastering his facial expressions as he'd gone into detail about his duel with Vader and how he'd lost his hand. When that memory surfaced, his right hand had flared in pain. He clenched it into a fist and then paused during his story telling when the memory of Vader's revelation came.

_No, I am your…_ Vader's phantom mask seemed to hover before Luke, obscuring his vision. The memories were too fresh for him. He wasn't ready for them yet. He was going to faint, he was… No, he needed to get a grip and stay strong. He couldn't let himself faint right in front of High Command. That would send any chance of promotion for him out the window.

He remembered falling. The feeling of freefall had pumped enough adrenaline in his system for him to start running a marathon. It was as if he was falling right into hell and there was Vader staring down at him. But the fall was his escape from the demon that tried to take his life--his soul.

"Commander Skywalker?" Admiral Ackbar wheezed.

Luke snapped back into reality and glanced towards the Mon Calamari. "Yes sir?" he asked and winced inwardly at how his voice wavered. He hoped no one else noticed.

"Perhaps it's still too early for you, Commander Skywalker," Mon Mothma said softly and locked gazes with Luke.

The young Jedi shook his head. "No," he replied. "I'm alright, I want to get this over with, if you don't mind, Ma'am."

After a moment of hesitation, Mon Mothma complied and gestured for him to continue. Luke recounted his fall and how he'd called out to Leia with the Force. He remembered the feeling of reassurance from her as she heard him. When he felt her acknowledge his call, he knew that he was safe as long as he had her watching his back.

He told them about the rescue and how the hyperdrive had failed. He made a point of not telling the senior commanders of how he'd been ready, at that moment to give into Vader. He also didn't tell them of how he'd almost regretted that they'd made the jump to hyperspace. When he was done, he clasped his hands together and waited for their response.

The members of High Command exchanged sullen glances and hushed whispers amongst each other. Luke was almost tempted to read their minds, though after thinking it over he decided that perhaps it would be best not to know what they thought of him. He continued to sit in silence while the other commanders spoke of him as if he weren't there.

Once the whispering stopped, Mon Mothma turned to face him. Even if he'd never known that the Rebel Alliance's leader had been a Senator, Luke would have been able to tell right away. Her composure and the way she acted was just the same as Leia, yet unlike Leia, this woman seemed colder than the princess. "Commander Skywalker, you may leave."

Luke didn't question her order since he didn't want to invoke any sort of trouble amongst his commanders. Instead the young Jedi gave a curt nod and left. When he entered the corridor, he began to wonder where he could go now. He had two options: his own room or perhaps he could visit Leia. Stretching out with the Force, Luke felt the frenzied state that Leia was in and decided that perhaps pursuing the latter option would not be good for his health. It was quite clear to him that she was too busy at the moment to pay any attention to him.

"Hey Luke!"

The voice was familiar and Luke immediately recognized it. A grin spread across his face as he turned and spotted Wedge. The young pilot was dressed in a gray flight suit and was waving at him from down the hallway. Realizing that he'd caught his commander's attention, Wedge dashed towards Luke and was soon by his side. With a laugh Wedge clapped his friend on the back.

"So Boss, what were you just up to?" Wedge grinned and with uncanny strength was able to pull his friend closer to him in a half hug.

"Debriefing," Luke's reply lacked the usual emotion that his friends were used to hearing.

There was a tense silence between the two comrades as they stood uncomfortably in the middle of the corridor. Wedge didn't miss how dejected his friend appeared. Swiftly catching Luke's arm, he allowed a wide grin to spread on his face. "Well then, let's drown out those memories of the stuffy pants by joining the rest of the Rogues in a drinking binge?"

Late night drinking binges were of course, a normal occurrence for the Rogues. They were a bunch of hot shot pilots that couldn't stand being cooped up for too long so usually they'd fight back cabin fever by getting drunk. The pilots tried to forget the fact that they were locked up in a ship by smuggling in alcoholic drinks. Those who were able to find a vat of Corellian brandy were praised and honoured amongst the Squadron.

"I don't know Wedge…" Luke muttered.

For a Corellian, any person who answered in straightforward answers was always taken seriously. Those who gave uncertain answers would be casting themselves at the Corellian's judgment. At the moment, Wedge's judgment was that Luke wanted to join them and thus dragged the young Commander to the pilot's lounge.

                A drinking binge without noise and hooting was not a drinking binge and all members of Rogue Squadron knew this. So when Luke and Wedge entered the lounge, they were greeted by a cacophony of catcalls and howls. Both senior members of the Alliance's most elite group of pilots exchanged weary expressions when Hobbie began to do his best impersonation of a Wookiee.

                "Cut the chatter boys, guess who I found?" Wedge shouted over the din. Every Rogue in the room turned their attention towards the door and spotted Wedge, forcefully dragging Luke inside. 

It was not unknown that the members of Rogue Squadron adored and admired their commander and thus a loud cheer erupted in the room. Some members even went as far as to bang the tables with their fists and started grunting like primitive humanoids.

                "Skywalker!" Janson hooted and held his mug of Corellian ale in the air. Other followed Janson's lead and held their drinks up as well.

                "Obviously a very popular commander," Wedge muttered and shot Luke a grin before disappearing into the crowd. Luke was left standing nervously in front of the dull eyes of his tipsy squadron.

                Though very soon, the young Jedi found a mug of ale forced into his hands. The brown liquid sloshed over the rim of the mug leaving an embarrassing dark stain on the front of his shirt. He fumbled with the glass and finally found his grip before glaring at whomever had shoved the drink at him. He wasn't surprised to find Wedge grinning at him as he held his mug up in a mock salute.

                "Come on, Boss, it's a drinking binge! Join the party!" he urged. The Corellian placed a hand on the small of Luke's back and shoved him forward.

                Sighing, Luke relented and held his drink up as well. He found a grin beginning to form on his face as he began to down his ale.

*~*~*~*~*

                "You ship?" Mara asked, unimpressed by the sight of her contact's vessel. She glanced towards him and saw the pride glinting in his eyes. She wondered if there was anything of the ship that anyone could be proud about. She glanced once more towards the rusted Corellian vehicle and still opted to stick with her original opinion.

                "My baby," he corrected. There was a smirk on his face as he began to key in the codes. Once the ramp was lowered he gestured for her to go inside. "Ladies first."

                Mara stared deadpanned at him and after being subjected under her gaze for three minutes, the contact shrugged and went inside first. The Emperor's Hand hesitated and followed him afterwards. She could make this a clean kill, but that could only happen if this brash man didn't have any shipmates. The murder of an entire crew could warrant enough worry amongst the locals of the spaceport for them to shut down all take offs and landings. Not only would it be an inconvenience but also the local authorities would probably send out investigators. The last thing Mara wanted was to be delayed from leaving this scum hole of a planet. 

                She found her contact in the cockpit, fiddling around with the transmitters. Mara watched him as he entered the codes from the datapad. Once information was directed back to him, the man whooped and cheered. She placed her hands on her hips and waited until he noticed her presence. When she had his attention she arched an eyebrow.

                "Well?" she asked. "Are you satisfied with your money?"

                "Most definitely," he replied and tossed the datapad onto the dashboard. 

                "And what about the location of Ardock?" she questioned. "I gave you the credits and I want the information."

                She saw the glint of treachery in his eyes and felt the familiar sense of unease. She knew what was going to come next. Mara balled her hands into fists and slowly crossed her arms, her right hand reaching for her wrist blaster. 

                "Sorry, girlie, but I'd rather not endanger my health," her contact retorted. As expected he drew his blaster and cocked it in her direction. 

                "And who," Mara began and raised her eyebrows. "Would hurt you?"

                "Black Sun, the Empire, the Rebellion," he returned. "I mean this Ardock, he's got allies with just about every big organization."

                Mara rolled her eyes. "I'm pretty sorry," she said. "But you endangered your own health when you pointed that thing at me."

                Her contact's arm hand wavered as he began to study her. Once he came to the assumption that she was no harm he relaxed and that was when Mara struck. It would be an over exaggeration to say that she'd moved as fast as lightning, yet her movements had been so quick that he didn't see it coming. 

                Mara knocked him to the ground and brought her knee onto his chest, pinning him. Her contact cursed furiously and began shooting wildly not giving a care for where his shots had struck. Just when the blaster was pointed to her chest, Mara ducked to the side and brought her right hand up in fierce chop on his blaster arm. The shock numbed his fingers, loosening his grip. The Emperor's Hand then smoothly yanked the weapon out of his hand and pointed it to his forehead, her finger hovering only a few millimeters away from the trigger.

                "Now," she drawled and leaned forward, her free hand pressed against his chest, keeping him to the ground. "You will tell me where this Ardock is, or I will ensure that you suffer a most painful death."

                Her contact blinked in obvious surprise at how easily she'd taken him down. His hands were free, yet he was smart enough not to attempt to break loose. Mara's stance and the way she was holding her weapon indicated an expert fighter.

Her eyes had the feral glint of a predator ready to finish off its prey. It was a wonder how she was able to restrain herself from pulling the trigger. Mara would have wanted nothing more than to rid the universe of one more piece of useless, trash. Yet this piece of filth held information that she wanted. It irked her that she actually needed someone like him to stay alive.

There was the sound of heavy footsteps pounding behind her. Mara cursed fiercely under her breath and brought the hand that had been keeping her contact to the ground to his throat. She turned her gaze towards the door, keeping one eye and one blaster on it while her other eye was on her quarry.

They stormed into the cockpit and paused for a split second to survey the scene before them. Mara knew immediately by their dress and stance that they had to be close friends with her contact. She tightened her grip on his throat and pulled him up and held his neck in a chokehold with one arm. Slowly rotating her position, Mara was now behind him. Her blaster was still aimed at the group, yet she knew that she stood little chance of winning the impending fight. The odds were against her.

Mara suppressed an urge to bite down on her lip. She couldn't let them see her anxiety, which would give them more power over her than necessary. There were two, well maybe three if you counted her former contact, against one. Two of them had blasters aimed at her. The last thing Mara really wanted to do was to have two more deaths on her hands, yet these men would surely know that there was something different about her and word would get out about her. The Emperor would eventually find out and most likely be displeased.

Better two more deaths than to face the Emperor's wrath, which was the decision that she made. Mara Jade pointed her blaster towards the first man and fired.


	2. Chapter Two: Post Binges

~A Note from Jedi Master JA: 

I forgot give out thanks to those who inspired me to write this… let's see… yeah major thanks to the Sithly Sith who gave me encouragement when the trailer went up, especially Lady Kenobi. If you haven't read her fics, go read them now!! And if you have, then read it again and give her a nice big review! Thanks also goes to Michele, even though she doesn't know me, I give her a big thanks for writing all of her wonderful fics which have inspired me to write this. I enjoyed reading her story: As Long as We're Together… but don't worry, there aren't any wormholes in this fic.

Chapter Two: Post Binges

                The blaster bolt pierced her opponent's chest, giving him a few seconds for a strangled cry before he collapsed in an unsightly heap on the floor. His companion, on reflex fired a shot at her. The red bolt grazed Mara's shoulder, cutting through coarse fabric and flesh with ease. 

                The Emperor's Hand cried out and felt a ravenous urge for revenge course through her. Without even aiming, she fired five bolts and three of them struck her target. The third shot had been unnecessary, as life had already fled from the man by the second bolt. The feral look of anger mixed with pleasure on Mara's face, struck fear even in the man locked in her grip.

                Taking a few moments to let the thrill of the fight pass, Mara began to compose herself. Once she was certain that she was able to interrogate her quarry properly, she tightened her grip around his neck. The pain her right shoulder flared but it was nothing compared to the suffering Mara had experienced as the Emperor's Hand.

                When he began to make struggled coughs and was about to spasm, Mara loosened her grip and pointed her blaster to his temple. "Now," she said coolly, her voice was barely above a whisper, yet the seriousness in her tone was evident. "I'm running out of time, with the death of your friends, and that poor excuse of a light show, I'm pretty certain that someone's heard it. So I want you to tell me where Ardock is, or like I said before: painful death. As you can see, I have no qualms when it comes to killing a person when necessary."

                She waited a few more moments and listened to his labored wheezes. "Ridel," he finally answered. He sucked in a deep breath and sighed. "Ardock's on Ridel, I even have his location, apartment number… everything you want on him."

                Surprised at how easy this mission could be, Mara pulled her blaster away. "I'm listening," she prompted. "Tell me everything."

*~*~*~*~*

                The one thing about traveling in space, that always bothered Luke, was that it was always harder to tell the time unless he had a chrono around. On Tatooine, all he really had to do was glance out a window and just judge by the strength of the sunlight or by the position of the moon, and he would immediately be able to tell the time. 

                Considering the fact that Luke had lost his issued wristwatch and had to go through Hi-C and wait for them to give him another, he had trouble telling what the time was. Usually all he needed to do was rely on his internal clock, since it was usually accurate, but at the moment, relying on his bodily functions did not appear to be a correct thing to do.

                He stumbled down the hallway and could only guess at the time. It was probably quite a few hours past midnight. Luke paused as he felt a wave of vertigo and waited for it to pass before he continued towards his quarters.

                Beside him were his three wing mates and closest friends, Wedge, Hobbie and Janson. They too, seemed to be struck with the same ailment that Luke was suffering from. Though unlike Luke, they suffered from this disorder in a lesser degree.

                "Whoa there, Boss!" Wedge nearly tripped as he tried his best to catch Luke from meeting the deck. Luckily for the Corellian, Janson had caught Luke's arm and hauled the rebel commander back onto his feet.

                "S'ok…" Luke mumbled and leaned against the wall. "I feel… wonderful. I've gotta thank ya for this Wedge… later--after the hangover." He shot the Corellian a glare, who returned it with a not-so-remorseful grin.

                "Get some sleep, Boss," Hobbie said and shoved Luke forward, this time the commander fell. The three other pilots laughed and after their mirth was over, they rushed to help Luke up again. Once he was on his feet, Luke pitifully shoved the others away and marched off towards his own quarters with as much dignity as one drunken man could muster.

                Inside his quarters, the young Jedi rushed towards the fresher and instead of relieving himself, he vomited. His sides began to spasm as the foul liquid rushed up his throat and spewed past his lips. The only thoughts that were rushing through his mind at the moment were of how disgusting the taste of the bile was and how awful it smelled.

                His stomach clenched once he was done and the bile was down the toilet, probably traveling towards some large storage tank of waste. Weak to the knees, Luke found himself unable to stand. So instead, he pushed himself away from the fresher towards the closest wall and rested against it. 

                He mused over how pleasant the past few months had been, freezing on Hoth, losing his hand and now, suffering from the consequences of a drinking binge. Yet all of these problems were his fault, now that he was older, he couldn't blame his problems on everyone else. He'd been the one who suggested locating the base on Hoth. It'd been his recklessness that cost him his hand and it was his lack of thinking that got him where he was now.

                He'd thought that if he drank, he'd be able to forget, at least for one second, about Bespin and he did. For a few blissful hours, he'd been lost in drunken ecstasy, but when the effects began to wear off and all he had left was a headache and weak stomach, he started to remember. 

                At moments like these, Luke would have cried, he did in that first week in the med-centre, but back then he'd been rebuilding his world. Now with construction almost done Luke wouldn't cry. If he allowed one drop to break through, then he'd be giving into weakness. What Luke needed the most, was to be strong and to forfeit any of his strength was to admit his own defeat. That was something he wouldn't allow to happen. He was in a struggle against himself and the galaxy and in the end--he was going to win. 

                Taking his own advice, Luke struggled to haul himself off the floor and in slow movements he made it to the sink and mirror. In his hurry to get to the fresher before he had an accident, Luke had forgotten to turn on the lights. Even though there was a lack of light, he could still see himself in the mirror. 

                He gazed at his reflection for a few more seconds before switching on the lights. His control over the Force was improving and he could now move objects without making wild gestures. All he needed to was simply think and everything did as he commanded. The lights became blinding and Luke ducked his head before his pupils would adjust to the brightness. He squinted and felt his headache become stronger.

                Turning on the water, Luke let it flow over his hands, it was cold and at the moment, he didn't care. The shock of the cold felt good against his skin, especially to his right hand. At times, it felt as if that hand were numb, he'd forget that it was a prosthetic, that it was a real hand. Other times it seemed so fake that Luke felt he could just rip the machine off. 

                Sighing, Luke glanced at himself once more in the mirror and turned to leave the fresher. It was late and he needed sleep.

*~*~*~*~*

                Forgetting to readjust his alarm, Luke awoke with a start early the next morning. He shot a glare towards the buzzing machine and to his surprise, the alarm stopped. Not only that, but the chrono also blew apart. He stared at the parts on the floor and when the morning fog finally cleared from his brain, he groaned. This had been the second time in a week that he'd broken his chrono and he knew that Hi-C would not be pleased.

                Luke gently nudged the Force and watched as the parts lifted from the ground and flew over towards his bed stand. It'd been a while since he tried to fix something other than an X-wing, but perhaps it'd be simple. The last thing he wanted was to have his commanders beginning to question the usefulness of his Force skills.

                He paused when he began to climb out of bed and remembered the events of last night. There was something wrong with how normal this seemed, getting out of bed early and breaking a chrono after getting drunk. He'd expected a hangover to happen like it always did, so why was he feeling so great after endangering his health the way he did last night?  
  


                The answer came to his mind just as quickly as the question had come. The difference between him now and him from before was his ability to control the Force. Yoda always did comment about how the Force could also be used for healing. Sometimes it was invoked to heal without thought, especially when the person who used the Force wanted his ailment to be gone. Though the answer made some sense, Luke couldn't understand how he was able to heal himself so quickly. Yoda had taught him only a few brief techniques in healing.

                Shrugging the thought off, Luke decided that if this sort of Force healing could be done without commanding and could get rid of dreaded morning hangovers, well then he wouldn't mind.

                Luke sat still in bed with his feet hovering only a few inches off the ground. Out of old habit, he began to swing his legs and while doing so, he wondered what he could do now that he was up so early. Before Bespin, Luke used to go out and practice the sims with the Rogues to keep them in good practice. It'd been quite a while since he'd flown an X-wing into battle and it'd be quite refreshing after being trapped in med-centre.

                Still it was no fun playing against CPU's, it was like competing against a 5 year old, their moves were basic and easily predictable. What Luke needed was a challenge and who better to challenge him than his fellow Rogues? 

                Grinning, Luke hopped out of bed and headed for the fresher first. Just because he felt great didn't give him an excuse to have bad breath. Luke noted that after last night's vomiting his mouth felt dry and had a funny taste to it.

*~*~*~*~*

                "Rise and shine boys!" Luke exclaimed with good cheer as he waltzed into the Rogue's dormitory. The light of the corridor poured into the darkness of the room, brightening it by several degrees. 

                Luke heard a few muffled groans and watched as some of the pilots turn in their bed. They covered their heads with their pillows and Luke felt in the Force that most of them had fallen back to sleep. This was not surprising to Luke since this was the reaction he always got after trying to wake his squadron after a night of drinking. 

                He'd wished for a challenge before and Luke had it. He clasped his hands together and tried to figure out a creative way to rouse his wing mates but when his mind drew a blank, he resorted to just using the Force. With a mere thought, all pillows and blankets of the dorm flew across the room and landed with a thud as they hit the wall.

                The Rogues groaned as they were hit with a sudden chill, not very surprising some still remained sleeping. Others on the other hand, did awaken, Wedge yawned loudly and glared in Luke's direction. He scratched the back of his neck and tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes.

                "What's up, Boss?" he asked, his voice was hoarse, which did not shock Luke, considering how loud he'd been shouting the previous night.

                "Training," he replied.

                His response prompted several groans from the rest of the Rogues. There was a moment of silence before the rustling of bed sheets finally broke it. Luke watched as his entire squadron began to clamber out of bed in search of their flight suits and boots.

                "Yeesh, Boss," Wes muttered. "How can you be up so early and be in such a cheery mood too."

                "One of the few perks of being a Jedi," Luke answered offhandedly. His attention was focused on Leia as he felt her awaken. 

                "Wish I were a Jedi," Hobbie mumbled as he awkwardly pulled on his boots. 

                Though Wedge agreed with Hobbie, he could only give a weak nod as he pressed a hand against his temple. Luke sympathized with his friend, but at the same moment, got a small pleasure from his retribution. Wedge after all, was the man who almost gave him a hangover.

                "Aw, quit your whining Hobbie and be a man," Luke suppressed the urge to grin and failed miserably. 

                Most of the Rogues in the room shot their boss a glare before they resumed dressing. Luke rolled his eyes and left them to prep the simulators.

*~*~*~*~*

                There was nothing like the feeling of flying, the emotions and the adrenaline that was pumped into Luke's systems were the same, though over the years, the young commander had developed a slight tolerance to it. Still, Luke enjoyed flying, at least that had been something that'd never changed.

                Though Luke was surprised to find himself pulled out of the simulators when he shot down his last opponent. He returned to reality and pulled his helmet off, a frown on his face. He'd been disappointed that it was over so quickly even if it was quite pleasing to know he still hadn't grown rusty.

                When he clambered out of the simulator, he found his squadron giving him mixed expressions of both annoyance and confusion, though underneath it all, there was also pride. Luke was about to speak when he spotted Leia watching him from the entrance. Her lips were pressed into a thin line. Luke took this as a sign that she was unhappy and wondered if he should approach her or not.

                The decision was made up for him when Leia beckoned for him and as he got closer to her, he noticed the datapad in her hands. He hoped that she was there to assign Rogue Squadron on a mission. 

                It was Leia who spoke first, "What do you think you're doing?" she asked. The cross expression on her face dared him to try and be smart mouthed with her. Luke knew that Han would have taken that sort of challenge immediately, but he'd known for quite a while that he wasn't Han and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't try to fill Han's place or be anything like him.

                Feeling the stir of impatience in her aura, Luke answered quickly. "Practicing with the sims, doing a little training, you know, crazy pilot stuff." Ok, Luke had to admit that he did pick up a few of Han's bad habits, but that did happen between close friends.

                Leia apparently realized this too as she stared at him in puzzlement for a moment before her visage changed back into a stern mask. Not normally the one who got subjected under her hard gaze, Luke flinched unconsciously. "Not funny," she retorted. "You're still healing, therefore you shouldn't be here at all. Go back to bed."

                "I've been in bed for over two weeks now," Luke argued. "I'm fine, besides, just because I'm on a break doesn't mean I should give up practicing all together. What if something happens?"  
  


                "Then the other Rogues will handle it, Wedge is a capable commander," Leia replied. She reached out and touched his forearm. Her face was now a look of loving concern. "Luke, you know I worry constantly about you."

                Her concern should have been touching. It should have brought about a wave of guilt from Luke, but at that moment, he felt nothing save for slight irritancy. Why couldn't Leia understand that he didn't need her to watch over her? He decided that it was about time to voice he opinions to her.

"Leia," Luke pulled his arm away. "I'm not that farmboy from Tatooine anymore, I know how to take care of myself, I know right from wrong. There are things I know now that I didn't before, I can't sit still. I need to do something."

Leia slowly nodded since she understood his lack of patience. She still worried about him. Despite the strong front he showed, Leia remembered that feeling of grief and anguish she'd received from him.

Luke gently probed her with the Force and his eyes lit up when he realized the reason why she was there. "You were going to give the Rogues a mission," he stated. A small smile crept on his face. "And since I'm their commanding officer, I should be told of it first."

"I don't think…" Leia began but was cut off by Luke.

"Hey, it's only fair that I get to do my job if you're gonna do it two, we're both on leave, either you drop everything and start relaxing or you send me on a mission," he pointed out. 

Taking in Luke's point, Leia debated the reasons in her mind and finally came to a conclusion. A smile grew on her face as she conceded his point and handed the datapad to him. "You should watch yourself around me, Luke," she said, a sly gleam in her eyes. "You seem to picking up some of my many bad habits."

"Well I can't say debating was ever my strongest point, but I can say that having met you, I'm getting better at it," Luke replied with a grin. 

The young Jedi's expression grew solemn again as he skimmed over the datapad, Leia watched silently until he finally finished reading the mission. 

"An escort mission?" he asked, deadpanned. He waved the datapad in the air in exaggerated gestures. "You expect the Rogues to go and escort some defect when someone else with half a mind and good aiming could do this?"

Leia shrugged and snatched the datapad out of his hand. "Well if you don't want to do this then you don't have to," she replied. She suddenly pointed a finger in his direction. "I heard about last night's drinking binge you know and I think its best for the Rogues to be kept busy and away from alcoholic drinks as much as possible."

Luke snorted and rolled his eyes. As much as he hated to admit it, Leia was right as always. "Point," he conceded. "I guess this is better then nothing."

                "You do understand the specifics, right?" Leia asked. She gestured at the datapad. 

                Luke rolled his eyes and threw his hands into the air in an exasperated motions. "Yes, Leia, a simple escort mission isn't going to take me half the day to figure out."

                "Alright, alright," Leia sighed though her annoyance quickly faded as she smiled and reached out to take his hand. "You just be careful. I worry about you."

                Luke returned her warm smile and placed his other hand on top of hers, the warmth of his gesture brought a calm to Leia. She wondered if this was more of his Jedi techniques or just natural skills. She'd been away from him for so long that she'd nearly forgotten what his touch was like. 

                "I'll be alright," he reassured her. "Han may not be here to look after both of us… but I'll do my best to be the protector until he gets back."

                Leia's head shot up as she locked gazes with him. Her brow was creased as she stared into his eyes and saw the sincerity in them. "Luke…" she murmured and then squeezed his hand harder. "You don't have to feel this need to fill Han's void. Just continue on being your lovable and brave self."

                 Luke nodded slowly, but Leia wasn't sure if her words were getting through to him. She understood his need to live up to Han's standards, but the last thing she needed was a substitute. She couldn't admit this to Luke, but if he understood her well enough, he'd eventually stop pretending to be something he wasn't.

                "I'll go tell the Rogues about this," Luke said. He pulled his hand away and held the datapad up while grinning at Leia. "I'm sure they'll be happy to fly, even if it _is_ an escort mission."

                The goofy grin on Luke's face forced Leia to smile as well. She folded her arms across her chest and with one hand gestured for him to leave. "I'm quite certain about that," she said wryly. Luke did a mock salute and turned on his heel to join the other Rogues. 

                She watched with slight interest as he began to gesture towards the datapad trying to explain about the mission. Though she couldn't hear them she could imagine what the Rogues were saying. The squadron's reaction was a mixed one: some had bored expressions and seemed more interested on the lint on their flight suits then towards the mission. Others, such as Wes, were more than eager to fly again.

                When Leia finally turned away, she realized to her own surprise that she was feeling a slight twinge of jealousy. She didn't know the cause for it since she'd never been alone in her life after all. In her childhood, she had her family, Bail Organa and her mother, Saché Organa and even a best friend to play with. Yet that was the past. In the present, she had no family, only a farmboy and not quite long ago, a smuggler to watch over her. She didn't even know where Winter was at the moment, but at least she had the small comfort of knowing that her friend was still alive.

                But here was Luke, who had the entire Rebellion watching his back, a large squadron of friends who would do anything for him and friends where ever he went. She should have been happy that there were people looking out for him from at all sides, but why this sudden envy?

                Leia brushed the thought aside and like always, locked her emotions away. She was in the middle of a war and as a leader and figurehead so she had to set an example. Luke had the friends and the freedom to go on nightly drinking binges but Leia couldn't afford to waste her time like that.

*~*~*~*~*

                Following the information that her contact had given her, Mara soon found herself on Ridel, where it was a more busy and cleaner planet than Antorah had been. Though having lived on Imperial Centre for most of her life, the Emperor's Hand was less than impressed. 

                It was only an hour until noon but the streets were already filled with patrons walking to and fro, minding their own business. Mara pulled her shawl closer to her body as she approached a few of the planet's law enforcements. They took no notice of her as she passed them. The Emperor's Hand relaxed slightly, but reminded herself to stay alert. 

                She soon came to her destination, a large, run down hotel. While staring at it, Mara couldn't believe that her contact had considered this a place where most of the upper class of Ridel stayed. She'd taken his warning about dressing to blend into the hotel's crowd seriously and had donned an ankle length maroon skirt and a tight sleeveless shirt, in a lighter shade of red. It'd taken her half the morning within the confines of her ship to get herself to look accordingly and wrapped herself in a gray ugly shawl so her flashy outfit wouldn't cause suspicion. 

                Sighing heavily, Mara mustered the strength she'd need to play the part of a rich baroness. She glanced briefly around her and then pulled her shawl off. The luggage bag she'd been carrying was heavy with just a bunch of clothing she'd recklessly thrown in. Undoing the clasps, Mara stuffed the shawl inside the bag as well and checked the carefully hidden weapons. Once she was certain they were secure, she picked the bag up and strolled into the building.

                Inside was not as dingy as Mara had expected. The place was clean and there were even a few expensive baubles hung about the room for decoration. Out of old habit, she committed the room to memory and once she was certain she had every detail mapped out in her brain, Mara approached the counter. 

                The receptionist's eyes lit upon spotting Mara. This reaction made Mara wonder how many wealthy, off planet visitors stayed at the hotel. She kept her face neutral when the receptionist, a mousy looking woman, began to address her.

                "Welcome to the Livian Hotel," she greeted with false cheer. "How may I help you, Madame…?"

                "Baroness Andra Filin," Mara answered. "I've called before."

                "Yes… the people who were occupying the room you specified for, amazingly decided to leave the day before your arrival," the receptionist said, adding a slight touch of shock in her tone. "It's free for your now, please wait while we find your keys."

                Mara wondered how much work it took for the hotel managers to clear the people out. She could estimate that it was less than an hour. She watched as the woman began to search for the keys for her room and resisted the urge to fidget. It was only moments later before the woman returned with the key card and gave her an over done thank you. She was then lead to her room by another member of the staff who was overjoyed at being able to carry her bags. When they finally reached her room, Mara paid the man a generous tip and slammed the door in his face when he began to advertise the many relaxing spas the hotel owned.

                With nothing to do for the rest of the day, the Emperor's Hand decided that a nice hot bath would be a good way to waste time. It'd been quite a while since she had one and with Ardock, being the person who occupied the room that was just below her, it wouldn't be taking too much leave from her mission.

*~*~*~*~*

                Night fell quicker than Mara had expected, it was already a few hours before midnight and she hadn't prepared. Though it only took her a mere few minutes to get ready. She was dressed in a black jumpsuit with her weapons concealed beneath the dark cloth. She'd learned a while ago how a blaster's reflective surface could easily give away one's location. Pulling on the half mask that covered the lower half of her face, Mara made sure that her face was not easily recognizable. She glanced at herself in the mirror and for a brief second admired how well she blended into the darkness of her room. 

                Once she was set, the Emperor's Hand headed for the balcony with a cord of rope, which she promptly tied to one of the railings. She tugged on the rope, making sure that it was secure and taking one deep breath, Mara leapt over the railing and began falling.

                It'd been something she'd done many times before, casually leaping over a railing, and years of practice had given her an edge to move with ease during free fall. The length of rope quickly ran out and Mara felt the tight squeeze of the rope around her hand as the abrupt halt tightened the loop. 

                She was still several stories above ground and at moment, her grip on the rope could have weakened and she would surely fall. Still, Mara felt no fear but only the pounding sensation in her heart as adrenaline flooded her systems. She took a few moments to calm herself, before twisting her body around so she could face the wall of the building. Mara began to swing herself back and forth, every swing brought her closer to the wall until her feet came in contact with it and momentum was quickly lost. 

With her feet planted against the wall, Mara began scaling the building. Her climb was nothing new to her, but with a building had such a thick layer on slime on it, Mara found herself occasionally losing her footing. 

                Her climb stopped when she came across Ardock's balcony and still hanging on the rope, Mara peered into her target's room. The place was dark and there was no sign of anyone being present at the time. Yet Mara knew that Ardock was still using the room since she spotted luggage piled near the door. Apparently she arrived on planet just in time, for the man seemed to be planning on leaving soon. Hauling herself onto the balcony, Mara approached the glass doors and frowned as she realized it was lock. This came as no surprise to her, but still it was just too much work to figure out the codes that would unlock the door. Sighing, Mara realized that she should have brought her decoder.

                Gently laying her hands on the glass, an idea struck the young woman. She could have broken the glass and made a noisy entrance, but she could also slice open an entrance. Taking out her lightsabre, Mara hesitated, there were very few moments in her service to the Emperor when she used the lightsabre. It was a weapon that the Emperor had given her and the weapon that Vader used the most. She surprised herself into bringing it along but perhaps it was one of those urges that was brought on by her intuition. 

                She switched on the lightsabre and winced at the loud snap-hiss it made when it was ignited. She was certain that the neighbors could hear the blade's hum. Sighing, Mara brought her weapon against the window and began to cut away at the glass. Once the glass began to slip, Mara's left hand shot out and caught it before it crashed.

                With the entrance made, she switched off her weapon and gently laid the large piece of glass aside. She stepped into the apartment and traded her lightsabre for her blaster. Her senses were alert as she quickly surveyed the area. It looked no different than it did from the outside, but there was always the possibility that Ardock could be hiding in one of the other rooms, after all, the man couldn't have been that stupid to not have heard someone was entering his apartment.

                Her head snapped towards her right when she heard the slight pattering of footsteps and someone whispering in the next room. Smirking, she made her way towards her target, her footsteps were light and made no sound in the carpeted area. 

                Gathering her strength before the doorway, Mara kicked it open, the finely polished wood splintered as it collided with the wall. With her blaster at ready in one hand, she entered the room and spotted Ardock crouching behind a chair, fright was etched on his face as he stared at her. 

                Without saying a word, Mara cocked her blaster in his direction and pulled the trigger. The sound of a blaster fired, but it wasn't hers.

                The Emperor's Hand felt a jolting pain at her side, which quickly numbed and spread throughout her body. Mara tried to whirl around and managed to get a look at her attacker before collapsing and falling into a world of darkness. 

A/N 

Special thanks to for reviewing: 

Deja Vu, petrobunny, Renee, Data, Nicholette, Moyima( x2), child_of_serenity, tmar, REM, cindy skywalker, Michele, Eriu, Mara Skywhiner

Favourite review of the Chapter: Deja Vu

"And then?!?!?!??!?!?!?   
  
Come on! You can't leave us hanging!!! *Stomps her feet* Gardblawnit! You have to give more! Soon, or I'll send LCV after you, and I usually just reserve him for Moy!!!   
  
*Eyes well up* Please?"

The more reviews I get, the faster I type!

Edit: Whoopsies for the spelling error on Michele's title… that's what you get for writing a thank you to people in less than five seconds and never taking the time to make sure the title was right. And OMG!! I can't believe you actually reviewed this!


	3. Chapter Three: That Skywalker Charm

~A note from Jedi Master JA 

Argh, I'm so sorry about the delay, but to make up for it, here are two chapters. I for one hate drawn out apologies and I hate it whenever an author tries to give the same old excuses all the time. So all I have to say is that I have no real excuse for taking so long to write an update. Now in the upcoming chapters, Luke and Mara finally meet!

Chapter Three: That Skywalker Charm 

                "What was that?" Ardock asked, his head coming up sharply, 

                Luke and Wedge exchanged exasperated glances. This was perhaps the seventh time in half an hour since their quarry had asked the same question. To say that the two were annoyed was making an understatement.

                Wes frowned as he glanced towards the door that led to the living room. "No," I hear something too," he said. "Some kind of… humming."

                Now it was Luke's turn to frown as he focused on the elusive sound. His face lit up in shock as he heard it but not only that, he recognized the sound of the weapon. "A lightsabre!" he exclaimed.

                Hobbie and Tycho glanced worriedly towards their commander and in turn listened for the sound, though like Wes, they heard it too, they couldn't identify it as easily as Luke had. Cursing under his breath, Luke brought out his weapon and held it up for them to see.

                "This, a lightsabre," he answered. "I recognize it."

                "Great," Wedge muttered. "There aren't too many people out there in the galaxy who knows how to use one, and I'm guessing that this new guy could be dangerous." He shot Luke a guarded look but saw no offense in his friend's expression. At the moment, there was only a faint mix of fear and even anger on his face, but not directed towards Wedge.

                The young Jedi tightened his grip on his weapon and then directed stern glances towards Hobbie and Tycho. "You two, into the refresher now. My guess that whoever it is must be trying to get at Ardock, you'll need to be in there for back up. Wes, go with them. Wedge, we'll go into the closet." He was already marching towards the closet when Ardock spoke up. The aged man clambered after them and tripped.

                "What about me?" he exclaimed and got a hold of Luke's tunic. His tugging nearly brought the Jedi down. "You can't leave me alone!"

                Luke pulled away from his grasp and whirled around abruptly, his stern expression turned into mere pity as he stared at Ardock, a defect who had nowhere left to go but to the Rebellion. He was alone and trying his best to survive. 

                "You stay out here, sir," he said gently. "We'll take care of things. Just don't get yourself killed."

                "And you'll protect me?" he asked.

                A small smile played on Luke's lips before he answered, "I will… I'm a Jedi, that's my duty."

                Luke quickly ducked inside the closet, joining Wedge behind a large, musty coat. From his position, he could see very clearly into the room through the slits of the closet door, but he didn't try to get any closer for fear that he might be spotted. 

                The young Jedi nearly jumped as the door swung open with a loud crack. He saw the spider web cracks on the door when it crashed into the wall. The door splintered, but by that time, Luke's attention was focused on the woman who stood in the doorway, her leg up in a wide high kick. She was dressed in black, half her faced was covered and in her hand, she held a small blaster. He could see bulges under her tunic, which he knew must have concealed weapons. Her body was neither a muscular, bulky form nor the skinny, nearly half starving one. She was almost catlike and lithe, she appeared graceful even when she closed her high kick and bounded into the room in what almost seemed like a single leap to Luke. And all of these features screamed at Luke to give her a name, a role, an identity.

                Imperial Agent.

                The woman did a quick scan of the room, and if she was Force sensitive, a question that Luke had been asking himself, then she wasn't very good at it, for she made no indication of acknowledging his presence of the presences of the other four Rogues. Instead, she was staring at the wizened man who had scrambled behind a chair for any meager cover. There was a flash of victory in her eyes as she cocked her blaster in his direction. Luke felt the warning in the Force and pulled out his blaster, but Wedge was faster. His pilot friend jumped forward, pushed the closet door open and took aim. He fired one shot and a blue ring of energy jumped from his blaster. It hit her in the small of her back. The Agent made a sound that was a cross between a gasp and a choke and tried her best to turn and face them. 

                Luke had to admire the woman for her strength, usually when a person got stunned, they'd crumple the minute the beam hit them, but the agent lasted longer than most people. He deduced that she had to be either very physically able or just very tolerant towards stun blasts. 

                Ardock too had cried out, but not in pain as the woman had, but in relief. He was still trembling but the relief was still evident in his face. The feeble man had to grasp the chair to brace himself. Though he jumped again when the refresher door opened and Hobbie, Wes and Tycho rushed into the room.             

                Luke saw Hobbie open his mouth to make a smart mouthed remark, but Luke having neither the patience nor the time to tolerate it, cut him off by directing his attention towards Ardock. "All right, sir?" he asked.

                Breathing heavily, the defect nodded vigorously and eyed the stunned agent suspiciously. Luke followed his gaze and approached the woman, his hand hovered above her face for a few seconds before he pulled her mask off. He was shocked by how striking her appearance was, not the glowing beauty of Leia's but certainly she was very beautiful.

                "What should we do with her, Boss?" Wes asked, coming up to Luke's side to examine the agent.

                Luke hesitated, there was no way he could turn her into the authorities, if he did then they would question who he was and then Rogue Squadron's mission would be blown out of the waters. He could leave her there, but it went against his very nature of being a Jedi to protect people, it just seemed wrong to him. Finally Luke came to his decision. 

                "We take her along with us," he replied, turning to face Wedge. "We interrogate her, get whatever information we can, bring her to Hi-C and then let her free. This isn't up to us, she's a prisoner of war for the time being until our commanders figure out what to do with her." His tone offered no argument but it was evident of how his Squadron felt about bringing an Imperial agent with them, especially one who'd shown such strength. Despite their differences, no one made an attempt to argue with Luke, not even Ardock, who felt very strongly about having someone who'd tried to kill him to be on the same ship as him.

                The young Jedi arched his eyebrow, as he saw none of the other Rogues moving to obey his command. At his demanding gaze, Wedge and company quickly scrambled to help lift the young woman from the ground and to transport her. Hobbie and Tycho rushed ahead, peering over corners and down corridors to check for a clear coast, yet their attentiveness was unnecessary with a Jedi Knight in their midst. Luke though, allowed the pair to do their jobs, while he was alert to the Force.

                It took the escort part of the group more than an hour to get back to their transport, where the rest of Rogue Squadron awaited them. Luke hadn't realized how difficult it would have been to move an unconscious woman from one location to another. There had been close calls when the agent had nearly awakened and it'd taken a few stuns to knock her out again. Luke worried about what kind of damage that kind of treatment would do to the woman's health, but a quick scan in the Force told the rebel commander that she was still stable.

                Once on board their transport, Luke handed the take off to Wedge while he made sure that the woman was secure. Both he and Hobbie checked to make sure that she was unarmed, and were both surprised when they found a heavy supply of weapons on her person. 

                When they were certain that she was weaponless, the two then took her a bunk and strapped her against a cot. More bindings and cuffs were added until Luke was satisfied. He then assigned both Hobbie and Wes on guard duty while he went and checked on the other Rogues. 

*~*~*~*~*

                There were times when frustration would get the better of people and Leia at that moment felt as if she wanted to throw herself out the airlock. It was already well past midnight for her and she knew that she would have an early morning too and knowing this she should have been in bed earlier. 

                Of course, early nights were nearly impossible now that she was a political figurehead for the Alliance. There was a steady flow of reports and meetings pouring into her schedule and considering her importance, all of them were too much to over look. She wondered if this was the reason why her father never went to bed until late at night. She remembered those few times when she'd awaken to the sounds of Bail Organa retiring to his room. 

                She shuddered to think how life would be for her if she ever became a political leader. Well maybe it wouldn't be so bad if she did there was always the chance for her to hire a personal aide. 

                Leia was near growling as she flipped through yet another pointless report that had no reason to be on her desk. She _did_ growl when her comlink beeped and called for her attention. She was in absolutely no mood for another lazy commander to dump more work on her.

                "What is it?" she snapped and then felt herself blushing as she realized her greeting was not the most cordial one she'd given.

                "No need to snap, beautiful," the voice on the other side of the comm crackled. "Just me, wonderful ol' Lando."

                A wave of relief washed over Leia, what would the Alliance Leaders had thought of her if they'd been the one on the other side of the line? With this relief, Leia grew considerably calmer. One could say she was even glad to be able to speak to an old friend, even if this 'friend' had been the cause of Han's absence in her life.

                Of course, Leia was ready to give chances to someone who was trying so hard to make things right. He did after all, help her escape Bespin and saved Luke and now Lando was trying his best to bring back Han. And though she wouldn't admit it, his flirting was even flattering.

                "Lando," she greeted. "Sorry about that."  
  


                "No offense taken," he replied. 

                Leia's heart then began to flutter as she wondered about the reason behind Lando's call, could it possibly be that he'd found Boba Fett? No, she wasn't going to get her hopes up but still, it wouldn't hurt to ask. "Have you found Han?" 

                The gambler's silent pause was all she needed for an answer. She'd told herself not to get excited, but despite her great self-control, she still couldn't stop the optimist within her. As she came to her conclusion, something within Leia cracked.

                "No, he's not here yet," Lando answered. He too was good at reading the tension between silences and knew immediately what Leia was feeling. "But don't worry, we'll find him, sooner or later."

                Leia nodded and then realized that Lando wouldn't be able to see her. She cleared her throat and strengthened her resolve. "All right," she replied. "Keep working on it, I'm sorry for not being there right now… the Alliance is keeping me busy."

                "Contact you soon," he replied. The comm crackled again as he disconnected. Leia too switched it off and sat there, staring ahead. It'd only been a few weeks since she'd last seen Han, but it was almost like years. She missed the way he held her and made little cracks at her. She especially missed those pet names he used for her.

                _"You certainly have a way with people."_

_                Leia sat there, dabbing Han's bloodied lips with her white sleeve. There was a small smile of amusement on her face while she tended to his wounds. Han tried his best to do his lop-sided grin but ended up wincing as the smile stretched his wound._

_                "Don't do that," she admonished. The two were silent for a moment before Leia took Han's hand into her own. "Do you really think that Luke's going come here?" _

_                "You know the kid," Han resisted the urge the cough. "Always thinks he's gotta be the hero."_

_                "Well he was one," Leia admitted. "He still is one…"_

_                "The moment he hears about us," Han muttered. "He'll come rushing here and try to rescue us."_

_                Leia began to prop Han up and rested her chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his chest. She felt him stiffen as she hugged him but he soon relaxed and laid his own hands on top of hers._

_                "Don't you feel bad," she asked. "About doing this behind Luke's back?"_

_                "I've considered it," he admitted. "But after all we've been through together, well I don't think I wanna to give you up, even for Luke."_

                Han's truthfulness and even crude way of expressing his affection for her would have been taken as an oath against a good friend. Yet Leia also saw this as his declaration of his caring for her, his affection ran deep enough that he would even turn his back against someone he'd known for so long, a best friend, just for her. She allowed herself to smile even more and then rotated around him to be face to face with  the smuggler.

_                "Thank you," she said in an almost whisper._

_                "No trouble," he replied and leaned forward to plant his lips against hers. Leia relaxed against his body as their lips touched, every emotion they'd felt since their imprisonment on Bespin was expressed through that one kiss, but at the same time they dissipated while the two were in each other's arms, taking comfort from each other._

                Leia rested her forehead against the palm of her hand. That moment in the cellblock always came back to her when she was at her moment of deepest grief. She sighed and went back to her work, too bad there just wasn't enough time for her reminisce.

*~*~*~*~*

                Mara had always heard that regaining consciousness after being stunned was just like waking from sleep, she knew from experience that the claim was false. There been many times in her life where she'd been knocked out by a stun beam, most of them were part of her training as the Emperor's Hand, but the same feeling of disorientation and the wave of nausea was always present. She would lay there, with her eyes closed, half conscious while she tried to figure out where she was and of the reasons why she was there.

                After invoking her mind for the reasons, memories began to pour in slowly. Her mission and how she'd reached her target came back and then how she'd stupidly dropped her guard and allowed for herself to be stunned. Anger at her failure spiked at the memory, but as quickly as the anger came, it dissipated and was replaced by panic. She was in her enemy's clutches and most likely, after showing off her abilities, locked and bound. 

                She strained her ears for any tidbit of information she could get of her surroundings, the sound of footsteps and the distant hum of a hyperdrive told her that she was on a ship that had at least more than seven men. 

                Finally deciding that it was time to play the guise of a disoriented prisoner, Mara let out a groan. Footsteps quickly clambered from across the room. Her eyes fluttered open and when Mara glanced up, she found herself face to face to the business end of a blaster. She tried her best to look frightened as the man holding it stared down at her with tired eyes. There was no doubt in Mara's mind that he was a pilot, and his companion, who was also tightly holding onto a blaster, was a pilot.

                "Tell Commander Skywalker that the prisoner's awake," said the pilot who had his blaster aimed at her.

                The man beside him cast a dubious glance at his direction, but gave no protest. Instead, he merely nodded and was soon out of the room. Taking her eyes away from the pilot, Mara cast her eyes down her body and saw the many chains and bonds that kept her strapped to what was certainly a cot. These boys were obviously taking no chances with her, though what they wanted from her, Mara was uncertain. She frowned as she thought about the name Skywalker, where exactly had she heard that from?

                In the distance, she heard the sound of a clang as a door opened. She struggled to see who was entering the room. Mara recognized the other pilot from before, but not the new one, who had light brown hair and the most piercing blue eyes. Mara almost blushed as she fell under his gaze, this boy was her age and she was certain that he was this mysterious Commander Skywalker.

                It suddenly struck Mara why the name Skywalker seemed familiar, the Rebel pilot who'd destroyed the Death Star and also the man who'd faced against Darth Vader, she'd even heard that he was a Jedi Knight. Her eyes widened as she stared at him, from the many reports she'd heard about him, Mara would have suspected someone taller or even muscular. There was no doubt that Skywalker had a rather muscular build, but he was not the type of person she'd considered to be able to duel with Vader and survive.

                It was Skywalker who spoke first. "I'm sorry for your current state," to Mara's surprise, the rebel pilot actually blushed. "But you must understand that with your abilities, we've decided to take extra precautions."

                "Perhaps the only wise act the Rebellion's done so far," Mara retorted. Even if this pilot's appearance belied his strength, Mara was not going to be intimidated by him. "Though the wisest act was to have just left me on Ridel, Skywalker."

                The young Jedi seemed somewhat startled at her knowledge of his name, but suddenly annoyance flickered across his face as he shot stern glances at his companions. The other two men stared at the ground sheepishly.

                "Hobbie, Wes, outside and keep guard at the door," Skywalker ordered. 

                "Sure thing, Boss," the younger of the two answered. He gestured at the other man to follow, who hesitated but met Skywalker's hard gaze. His concern for his commander was palpable enough for Mara to catch. 

                Skywalker waited until he heard the sound of the door being closed before he turned his attention back towards her. His face was expressionless, but something in his eyes gave away what he felt. Mara was somewhat startled by the emotion she read in then, admiration… and even a mix of curiosity.

                "So you're an Imperial agent," he remarked.

                Mara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Apparently subtlety was a trait that had not been taught to the Rebels. She twisted her face in scorn as she turned her gaze away from him, a very apparent sign that she was going to ignore him.

                "Aren't you even worried?" he asked. His question caused Mara to peer at him through the corner of her eye. "About what's going to happen to you? I mean… if I were in your position, stuck on a ship, not knowing where I was going and surrounded by strangers and immobile… I'd be pretty anxious." There was a wry twist to his lips that seemed almost natural, Mara had to fight back an urge to smile.

                Yet somehow he seemed to know that she was amused for he continued with his drabble, speaking of useless subjects until she couldn't tolerate him a moment more. She snapped her head in his direction, a venomous glint her eyes. 

                "Will you…" she hissed. "Just leave me in peace!"

                Instead of appearing hurt or even frightened, Skywalker smiled. If one wanted further detail, one could have also said he was grinning. Mara couldn't comprehend how someone as idiotic as he, could have become a commanding officer of the Rebellion. The Alliance have been getting desperate if they let someone like Skywalker in charge of a squadron.

                "Finally got you to talk," he teased and as quickly as his smile came, it disappeared and he was serious. Mara wanted to shiver at how this pilot could shift guises so easily. So far she'd seen a naïve and even goofy pilot and now she was staring at someone else entirely. The words "stern" and "cold" easily came to mind when Mara tried to choose words to describe him.

                What was more irritating was how Skywalker had goaded her into breaking her silence. She should have seen it coming, yet his play had been convincing. It was stupid oversight made by her, the second one she'd made thus far. 

                "If you want information from me, you're not getting any," she growled and stared directly into his eyes. "I'm not afraid of what you could do to me."

                Arching an eyebrow, Skywalker clasped his hands behind him and began to move closer until he was beside her cot. "What I could do?" he asked. "I think you're confusing me with the Empire. We don't torture."

                "Obviously a band of freedom fighters claiming to be helping the people wouldn't." Mara snorted and this time, she did roll her eyes. The other side of Luke Skywalker, the one who seemed so naïve would have been annoyed, but this personality, seemed undeterred. She wouldn't admit it, but Mara was beginning to grow slightly annoyed at the commander's calm demeanor.

                "You've deflected my original question you know," he pointed out. "What do you expect from us?"  
  


                His question resulted in a dumbstruck Mara as she stared at him. She knew by all logic, that the Rebellion would never torture someone for information, it just went against all of the 'morals' they stood for, the reason why they were so weak. Still at the same time, she did expect some form of painful treatment and it was natural fear that she'd tried to quell since she'd been young.

                When silence hung in the air for quite a while, Skywalker got the message that she didn't want to answer his question. He shrugged and began to pace away and stopped a few steps from her cot. 

                "As a prisoner of war," he said. "You'll remain like this until we reach headquarters. And of course you'll be fed and allowed breaks for the refresher."

                "You know, if you wanna appear to be like the charitable prison guard, you could just let me go and we can forget I was ever here," Mara suggested.

                Skywalker smiled but was still in his strange guise, it suited him. "Not likely to happen," he replied and headed for the exit. "By the way I never got your name, or are Imperial agents not allowed to give out identification?"

                "Who said I was an Imperial agent?" Mara retorted.

                "I did," he returned with a smirk. "So am I stuck with calling you Red until I find out what your name is?"

                Turning her gaze away from him, Mara tried her best to shrug. "Looks that way to me," she replied. 

                It was Skywalker's turn to roll his eyes. With a shake of his head, the commander exited the room, leaving Mara strapped to her cot, staring at the ceiling.

*~*~*~*~*

                The passage of days soon became impossible for Mara to tell. Usually she would rely on her internal clock, but without any source to confirm her intuition, Mara was left with a confused schedule. She slept when she felt tired and woke when her body told her she no longer needed sleep. The Rogues—she had finally learnt their squadron name—served her meals at the most random hours. She had a very strong suspicion that they were doing it on purpose.

                Refresher breaks only happened every two hours and it was the only part of her day where she was allowed to stretch her legs. There were always four pilots on her, with their blasters trained on her head and chest. Their distrust in her was evident and just about the only person on the ship who seemed to enjoy being in her company was Skywalker. 

                To say that she didn't enjoy his visits was to lie. Mara did get excited when Luke entered her prison room and somehow always knew when he would visit her. After their initial meeting, Mara met another side of Luke, a mix of both the 'stern commander' as the Rogues would jokingly call him, and the 'naïve farmboy', it didn't surprise her when he told her of where he lived before the Rebellion.

                "Don't you have better things to do then to sit here and fraternize with your prisoner?" Mara asked and stared at him.

                Skywalker, who pulled a chair up beside her and apparently had his attention elsewhere, turned his head sharply in her direction. "Hmm?" he asked slightly offhanded. Mara could not explain the reason why she felt suddenly slighted.

                "Well don't you?" she asked.

                Skywalker shrugged and leaned against the backrest, a look of boredom etched on his face. "No," he answered truthfully. "I really don't… this was supposed to be a simple escort mission, I expected to be bored and unlike most of the time, I was right."

                Frowning, Mara studied Skywalker, who today, was dressed in a black flight suit, which was no big change. She'd noticed from the start that his uniforms were usually in darker colours unlike his friends who wore brighter outfits. She wondered if the commander was singling himself out or just wearing it as a fashion statement. 

                Despite the colouring, Mara admired how well black seemed to suit him, but at the same time, she was oddly reminded of Vader. The two only seemed to share a similar taste in colouring, nothing else, they didn't bear a strong resemblance but she still saw the Dark Lord hovering above the boy like a sinister spectral.

                "Of course," Luke broke into her thoughts. "Spending time here with a beautiful woman can't really be considered that boring."

                "You know, Skywalker," Mara remarked. "You really should stop being something you're not."

                Luke stared at her, startled by her statement. "What?" he asked.

                "The way you're acting now," she replied. "It's just not you… this flirting. You've got friends like that, don't you?"

                Chuckling softly, Skywalker slowly nodded. He brought a hand to his mouth to cover a smile and turned his attention elsewhere. "You're not the first woman who've said that to me. Is it that obvious?"  
  


                "Well, short answer: yes," Mara replied.

                Luke shrugged again, "I've been confused with my identity these days," he admitted. "Sometimes I feel like I'm someone else while other times I'm just me." He clenched his right hand and stared at it in what seemed like anger. Mara watched him in wonderment. She'd noticed him staring at his hand in such a manner a few times before. From what she could deduce, the boy had suffered some sort of tragedy very recently.

                Her reverie was interrupted when Skywalker abruptly stood, a foolish grin on his face. "Well now, it's almost dinner, you hungry?"

                Deciding to play along, Mara snorted. "Ration bars and water? Yum, I'm just eager to get my hands on that."

                Amusement lit Skywalker's eyes as he turned to leave. "Be back in a sec, don't move," he called over his shoulder and disappeared behind the door.

                Mara repressed the urge to groan at the poorly made joke and instead focused her attention towards the ceiling, which had become very familiar to her. _What am I doing?_ She asked herself. _Why do I feel as if I can say anything to him? He's so strong, but I feel so sad for him._

                The Emperor's Hand glanced back in the direction that Luke had left, she certainly did feel as if she could trust Luke, in only a matter of days, she'd become closer to him then she'd ever before with anyone else. She felt as if she'd made a friend--and it was a comforting thought. During her whole life as an agent for the Empire, she'd never had one.

                But there was a reason why. She had a duty towards the Emperor. What good would it serve her to make friends when they'd only get in her way? Making friends were futile and it was especially dangerous to make ones with an enemy. Had she been so easily swayed by Skywalker's natural charm that she'd forgotten her original objective?

                So this was the Rebel Alliance's way of pumping information out of a prisoner, they'd fool them into believing they were friends and eventually convince them to relinquish whatever details they wanted.

                Mara sighed, trying to relieve the tension from her shoulders. It was about time she planned an escape. There would be no more happy little chats with Skywalker for her; she needed to complete her mission first.


	4. Chapter Four: The Dream Medley

Chapter Four: The Dream Medley

                _"If we had a child… what would we call it?" _

                _Her voice was as sweet as ever, in the darkness of his mind and penetrating every thought that'd been taking residence in the forefront of his attention. _

                _"A boy or a girl?" _

                _That was his voice, young and still full of laughter, despite the perilous times that were coming. His former, optimistic tones struck envy and even pure hatred at what he once was: a stupid little Padawan who had too much trust in others._

_                Then the vision of the memory came, him before his fall and her before she disappeared. Together the two were lying in bed, staring at each other's face. He'd been admiring her features in the moonlight before she'd broken his reverie._

_                "Boy," she replied._

_                "I wouldn't really know… thinking about children already?"_

_                "Don't you want a child? One to hold and cherish?" she asked. "I know I do… I want a boy, a little version of you and I'd name him Anakin Junior."  
  
_

_                He responded in a half snort and half sardonic chuckle. His wife of course did not appreciate being laughed at and playfully shoved him away. _

_                "Anakin Junior?" he asked. "You can't be serious."  
  
_

_                "And what if I am?" she questioned. "Anyway, I wouldn't mind a girl either. I think a girl would be nice too, she could back me up when you and Ani Jr. start ganging up on me."_

                _"Hey! I never agreed to naming our son that!"_

_                "Well that's what he's going to be named if you can't think of anything," she teased and suddenly moved to be closer to him. She rested her forehead against his while their noses were nearly touching. Her eyes were half closed as she snaked her arm around his neck._

_                "Alright, alright." He sighed and began to brush his lips against her cheeks. "How about…Luke?"  
  
_

_                "Luke?" she pulled away until she could see him fully. "Where did you get that?"  
  
_

_                "Call it… a hunch," he replied. _

_                "More crazy Jedi stuff, huh?"_

_                "You know you love it," he retorted with a half grin. _

_                She returned his smirk with a smile of her own and began to move closer once more. This time, she rotated her body until she was comfortably nestled in the crook of his arm. _

_                "Luke…" she murmured and then smiled at him over her shoulder. "I think it'd fit. Luke Skywalker."_

_                "Glad you liked it," he murmured and gently moved his hand down her bare arm until he could clasp her hand. "So when do you suppose it'd be the right time?"_

_                "Soon," she answered. "For now, I just want to have you for myself."  
  
_

_                He smirked and tightened his grip. "Done."_

                His firmly closed eyes fluttered open as the memory passed him, along with the memory were the feelings of warm comfort he had when he thought of his wife. But like always, reality would follow and he would remember his current state and with reality were the bitter feelings loneliness and betrayal. Vader allowed the feelings linger for a moment, taking pleasure in his own emotional pain before he brought his barriers up, shutting his feelings behind it.

                The memory was one he'd forgotten since he took on the name Vader and left his past where it was supposed to be. Though despite how hard he tried to shunt out the memories, they would return, especially in sleep or meditation. 

                It was still interesting that Padmé too, remembered that particular recollection. It pleased him, even after she'd run away from him that she still kept fidelity by acknowledging his wishes and naming their only son, Luke. At the same time, it frustrated him deeply, how could he continue to hate her if she continued on bringing him these surprises?

                Vader's gloved hand clenched into a tight fist and somewhere, not too far away, he heard the sound of furniture--a chair--crashing. He didn't muse over the expense of the chair he'd damaged.

                _The past is the past. Remember that._ He reminded himself and stared about him in his meditation chamber, one of the few places where he could be without his helmet. It was bare save for the machinery needed to keep him alive, he made no effort in personalizing the pod and didn't intend to.

                A nervous presence suddenly appeared just outside door. He felt the hesitation in the being and recognized its aura in the Force. Vader's irritation doubled, he was in no mood to tolerate bumbling officers, even if they were competent in what they did. 

                Making a miniscule wave of his hand, the entrance to his personal chambers opened and in stepped Piett with his hands tightly clasped behind the small of his back. He was possibly the only officer that Vader ever allowed to see mask less. He knew of Piett's loyalty and trusted him enough to know how to keep personal opinions quiet. 

                "Admiral?"  Something had to be said first for it was quite obvious that Piett was not going to speak without a prompting. He noted the slight look of wonder on the Admiral's face as he stared at his face. This was not the first time Piett had seen him without a mask and it could be the last if the he continued on wasting his time.

                "My Lord," Piett replied and bowed low. "I was informed to tell you when we would arrive on Imperial Centre."

                Vader made a dismissive gesture. "If that is all?"  
  


                "Yes My Lord," he answered and bowed again.

                The Dark Lord watched as Piett exited the room. The prospect of returning to Imperial Centre, what was once his former home as a Padawan, did not thrill him. The prospect of seeing the Emperor to report his failure on Bespin was not an event Lord Vader looked forward to.

*~*~*~*~*

                "You know, Skywalker, I've eaten worse," Red said as she gestured at him with her ration bar. Mealtimes were just the only times asides from refresher breaks, where she was freed from her bonds save for the binders around her ankles and wrists.

                "And let's see, you've eaten better?" Luke finished for her.

                The look of amusement on Red's face was becoming a familiar sight to see. Luke actually enjoyed watching her face break out into a grin after one of his attempts at cracking a joke. She appeared truly amused by his sense of humour.

                "Oldest line in the book, I know," she replied and finished off her ration bar. "But if it works then I use it."

                "The rule of thumb of any Imperial agent," Luke remarked.

                Red arched her eyebrows at him over her plastic cup of water. "I never said I was one," she replied once she was done. "Why do you persist in labeling me as an agent?"  
  


                "Because you are one," he retorted. "A Jedi can sense when a person's lying, you know."  
  


                "So it's true," she found herself saying out loud. "You _are_ a Jedi."

                Her declaration brought a heavy flush to Luke's cheeks as he glanced the other way. The young Jedi slowly shook his head. "I wouldn't call myself that… a Jedi-in-training perhaps."

                "So is that how you survived against Vader?" Red asked, staring at him with narrow eyes. 

                Luke straightened at the mention of Vader and once again, clenched his right hand. He wasn't going to be angry with her, she didn't know. Still, Luke couldn't help the annoyance that spiked in him when she voiced her boorish question.

                "Yes," he answered. 

                Immediately he saw her study him with her green eyes and felt her sudden realization that she'd hit a sensitive area. She took the hint and dropped the subject.

                "Well now that you're done," Luke said and quickly stood up. "I guess you'll have to be strapped in again."

                "Fun," she muttered.

                "Well it certainly is for me," he forced himself to grin. "I suppose… you'd like to know that we're nearing Alliance headquarters now."

                He felt the sudden wave of fear that overtook Red's senses as she turned away from him. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was worrying her. Luke began to move closer to her but reconsidered his course of action when he felt Red's irritation rise.

                "They'll just question you," he said. "Nothing else."

                "And keep me their prisoner until I crack," she returned bringing her face around to meet his. "I can't stay like that forever."

                "You won't," he reassured her. "Listen… if you just tell me now what you're mission was, who you served, then I'll let you go, drop you off at a nearby spaceport and leave you alone forever."

                "Strangely enough, I believe you _would_ do that," Red murmured. "But I can't tell you anything."

                "Not even the reason why you wanted to kill Ardock?" Luke urged.

                A small smile appeared on her face as she regarded him. "If I answered that he annoyed me… would that be valid?"  
  


                The young Jedi grinned at her, almost surprised at Red's developing sense of humour. "Nope," he replied. "I guess this is going to turn into an old conversation, isn't it?"  
  


                "Very likely," Red agreed.

                "Then it's about time I turned in for the night," he replied. "You'd better get some rest too."  
  


                Red snorted. "For me, Skywalker, it's still late afternoon, but I guess sleeping's the only thing I can do while I'm strapped to this thing."  
  


                Luke chuckled softly and began to work in strapping Red back onto the cot. He paused once he was done and stared in a fixated manner at her face. It was amazing how he never got tired of staring striking green eyes.

                "Something the matter?" Red asked when she noticed his staring.

                Luke smiled as he pulled his eyes away from hers and shook his head. "No," he replied. "Just tired."

                "Night, then," she replied.

                Luke nodded and soon exited. Mara was once again, left to her own devices and after much debating with herself, she decided that sleep would probably be the best thing to do.

*~*~*~*~*

                _Lightsabres clashed on a platform high above a seemingly endless shaft. Two figures fought each other, one a small boy dressed in a sweaty, gray flight suit, while another, dressed in black with his face covered by a helmet._

_                What?  
  
_

_                Mara backed away and bumped into a railing as the two brought their duel closer to her. She was almost afraid that they would notice her and attack her with their weapons, but as they neared, she recognized the duelists._

_                Skywalker and Vader, one fought with a red lightsabre while the other with a blue. The two weapons contrasted with each other, as did the men wielding them. Mara pushed herself closer to the edge, as they passed, their lightsabres locked and soon it became a contest of strength. _

_                And the obvious outcome was Vader's victory. Using his superior strength, the Dark Lord shoved the boy away. Skywalker landed on top of a few small steps, barely aware of the cuts and bruises that were beginning to show on his face. His attention was focused solely on the Sith who approached him and soon had his lightsabre pointed to the boy's throat._

_                "You are beaten," the Dark Lord growled. "It is useless to resist. Don't make me destroy you as I did Obi-Wan."_

_                Against her better judgment, Mara found herself edging closer to the duel and silently cheered as Luke fought back. The mention of Obi-Wan's named sparked an anger within the boy that gave him renewed strength. And as he was driven back by Vader, his eyes landed on the sole spectator. His eyes widened as he recognized her._

_                "Red?"_

_                Everything around them faded into white mist. Mara glanced about her, startled, she was certain now, that this was a dream, but confused about what she'd seen. Glancing ahead of her, she saw that Skywalker still remained._

_                And the expression on his face, nearly made her shiver._

_                It was pure rage that was contrasted by betrayal reflected in eyes; it was evident in his scowl and just the way he stood. She could have sworn she felt his emotions, but that made no sense to her. She began to move away from him and suddenly stopped, realizing that she was giving into her fear._

_                "What are you doing in here?" Skywalker snarled as he approached her. "This never happened! Get out!"  
  
_

_                Surprising her, Skywalker shoved her away, causing her to stumble backwards…_

_                …And out of her sleep. _

                Mara awoke with a start and strained against the bonds that kept her down. Panic began to flood her systems until memories came back and she soon remembered that she was chained and stuck as a prisoner.

                _What was that about?_

                Never had she experienced such a dream. On the occasions when she was aware of when she was dreaming, then Mara would be able to gain control of it. Yet the result of her most recent one was perplexing. No one had ever tried to physically hurt her in a dream and she was still confused about how she could have conjured up a fantasy of Skywalker and Vader fighting like that in such detail. It was almost as if she were seeing a memory, but certainly not hers.

                For the rest of the night Mara lied back, pondering about the vision.

*~*~*~*~*

                The days that followed her dream of Skywalker and Vader were uneventful. No longer did the Jedi Knight grace her with his presence. When she asked of him, the other Rogues would ignore her and treat her in a cold manner. 

                She admitted that she did miss Skywalker, but reminded herself that she'd been planning on escape before and those little idyllic chats with him served to be nothing more than a mere distraction. 

                Of course, things did become much livelier when on the fourth day after her dream; four Rogues came into her prison. All four of them were heavily armed and regarded her with wary expressions. Mara suddenly began to realize that perhaps they'd finally arrived at the Rebel Base, it was the only explanation as to why four pilots would suddenly enter looking like frightened mice about to face a feline predator.

                Her suspicions were confirmed when the dark haired Corellian, Wedge, spoke. "We've arrived at the fleet," he gave her a cold look. "And Commander Skywalker ordered us to have you ready for transport."

                Mara was silent as they began to unlock her bonds. She suddenly saw her chance to escape and resisted the urge to smile. Of course the Rogues would be expecting her to try a move, but if she acted fast enough, she could be free.

                As soon as her legs were free from the binders, Mara jumped up and swung around in a high kick, knocking Wedge back into his companions. She moved to her side as the other three, opened fire at her. She dodged out of the room as a blue ring of energy shot over her head.

                The other Rogues obviously heard the commotion and rushed towards her prison to see what was the matter. Luckily for Mara, not many of them had been smart enough to bring their own weapons. Though she was bound at the hands, Mara was still a capable fighter. 

                She dodged low and rested her weight on her hands as she executed a foot sweep, knocking a nearby Rogue off his feet. A blow to his head had him unconscious. She then rounded a corner and was nearly shot by a red bolt this time. Apparently they'd discarded their stun only rule. 

                Of course, fighting with only her feet was a challenge. Mara needed to find a way to free her hands. The answer came to her as another bolt of energy shot towards her, she held up her hands and grimaced as the shock of the bolt hit her binders. The heat of blast quickly spread through the cuffs, burning her skin. Despite the pain, Mara began to gather her strength and began to pull apart the cuffs. She gasped when the binders broke apart and she was free to use her hands.

*~*~*~*~*

                Luke felt the stirring in the Force before he heard it. There was an obvious commotion happening on the ship. It was no surprise to him when he traced the stirring down to a certain red head. Grabbing his blaster, he left the sanctuary of his room to enter the corridor, only to run straight into Red. She stared at him in shock, and it was obvious that the woman was hassled. One glance down the hall told Luke that she had quite a time trying to flee from his wing mates.

                Though before Luke was given a chance to speak, the Imperial agent cried out and kicked at his right hand, numbing his grip and causing his blaster to clatter to the ground. His momentary shock was all she needed to subdue him; she barreled into his midsection, bringing him to the ground. Luke fell back hard and felt the wind being knocked out of him. He was disoriented for a few seconds and when he was back to a coherent state of mind, he found himself staring up the barrel of a blaster. 

                But that wasn't enough to stop a Jedi Knight, quickly resorting to use the Force. Luke wrenched the blaster out of her grip, flinging it across the hall. Red stared at her empty hand in shock and was deftly punished for her lack of attention when Luke pushed her off him, not with his own hands, but with the Force. She flew across the corridor and nearly slammed into the wall, yet in mid flight, the agent had twisted her body around and slammed her feet towards the ground, digging her heels into the floor until she slowly skidded to a halt.

                Snarling like a predator, she then rushed towards him. Luke quickly scrambled away and felt his hands come across the discarded blaster. Without thinking, the Jedi Knight brought the weapon around and pointed it towards the woman and fired a single shot. The bolt hit its target and had it been anywhere near a vital part of her body, then Red would have died. Luckily for her, the red bolt had only caught her on the side and knocked her back.

                She gasped in pain and stumbled in mid run. Her knees suddenly buckled and Red would have fell face first to the ground if Luke had not rushed to her side. He caught her in his arms and cradled her weakened body against his chest. His right hand rested on top of her hands. Luke tried his best to force the girl into a healing trance.

                What little Yoda had taught him of Force healing, was used, and to his own surprise, he felt Red using her own skills to attend to the wound. She tried weakly to fight back the trance with her own Force strength but succumbed to it. Luke stood there, and wondered about the girl's ability to touch the Force. What would someone call her? Force strong? Force sensitive? Luke couldn't come up with way to describe her abilities with the mystical energy field.

                _You're more than just an agent, aren't you, Red?_ Luke silently asked her, but as expected, he received no answer.

                "Boss?" 

                Luke glanced up to see Wedge, with a hideous black eye approaching him. He arched his eyebrow in surprise and in one single motion; he heaved Red into his arms, carrying her like she was nothing more than a small child.

                "She can certainly throw a punch, can't she?" Luke asked as he approached his friend.

                "Well she can certainly throw more than one punch," said Hobbie, who'd sidled up to the Corellian. The poor pilot was in an even worse condition then Wedge. His face was covered with cuts and bruises and his lip had been split open, half of his face was swelling up to a startling size.

                Luke glanced down at Red in amusement, his anger towards her had all but been forgotten. Certainly he'd been angry with her for her entering his dream. He'd spent the last four days in his own private quarters fuming over it and trying to come down to a more logical conclusion. But one couldn't waste his entire life time staying angry at someone.

                "Well, just thought you'd like to know that we've docked," Hobbie muttered and held a hand towards his cheek. 

                "Good," Luke replied. "Inform med-centre to be ready to take in a few injured."

                "Sure thing, Boss," Hobbie replied. He snapped into a sloppy salute and began limping his way back to the cockpit. 

                Still carrying Red, Luke gave a single nod to Wedge before he began to head for the ramp. He trusted his friend to take care of things while he was gone. Luke began to wonder if it'd just be best for him to relinquish his rank so that way Wedge could have a shot at becoming a leader. The Corellian pilot certainly deserved it, but it seemed almost impossible for anyone in his squadron to earn a rank while they were stuck under his shadow.

                It was no surprise for him when he exited the ship to find the docking bay empty, save for a few Rebel guards whom he addressed for a short moment, informing them of who and what happened to the woman in his arms. They, like almost every other rebel in the fleet, listened to him in awe and regarded him as if he were some sort of hero. This sort of admiration was becoming sickening, but that was the price one paid for saving the lives of millions and for taking millions.

                An escort guard followed him to med centre, though Luke thought it unnecessary considering the fact that he could now easily take down just about any opponent thrown at him. Though he supposed the guard was still wary at the thought of having an Imperial agent on board the same ship as he.

                The 21-B droid greeted him in the med-centre and showed him where to put Red; Luke gently laid her down and to his surprise, planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. For a moment, he was afraid the woman would awaken and start roaring at him.

*~*~*~*~*

                Leia had heard about Luke's arrival when he'd docked though despite her wishes to be there to greet him personally, she was detained in a meeting. All of the superior commanders of Hi-C were gathered around speaking of supply runs and where they would keep the fleet until finally the meeting was adjourned.

                She had to ask around first before she was able to find where Luke was, though upon hearing that he'd been in the med-centre, her heart had slammed into her ribcage. Worry began to take the better of her as she thought of an injured Luke, floating in a bacta tank, or maybe he'd be comatose, never to awaken again and she'd be left alone once more.

                Of course, Leia's logical side told her to stop being silly and to just head down to the med-centre, when she entered, she heard the sounds of a bacta tank being run, it'd become a very familiar sound to her since Hoth. She quickly rounded the corner and found Luke, not in the bacta tank, but outside, staring at the person that was inside, a woman.

                "Luke!" she exclaimed, calling for his attention.

                The young Jedi turned around in surprise, though it quickly melted in joy at seeing his best friend. Holding out his arms he grabbed Leia in a tight embrace, this was neither startling nor new to the rebel princess. She instead returned his hug just as fiercely.

                "You seem worried," he observed and then allowed himself to smirk. "Afraid something might have happened to me?"

                "Don't even joke about it," Leia retorted and playfully shoved him aside. "When I heard you were in the med-centre I came down here as quickly as I could… what's wrong?"  
  


                "Nothing's wrong with me," Luke replied, he then gestured towards the bacta tank. "Just that a… friend of mine got injured."

                Leia directed her attention towards the tank, and noticed for the first time, the red headed woman who floated in the fluids with an almost serene expression on her face. She was clothed only in as minimal clothing as possible while in the tank and had her face covered in a breath mask. Leia stared at her and then returned her attention towards Luke, for the first time in a long time, she began to wonder about the romantic aspect of Luke's life.

                "Who is she?" the Alderaani princess asked.

                The young Jedi shrugged and turned his attention towards the woman and Leia could easily spot the lines of worry on his brow. She often had them when she thought about Luke's safety while he was on a mission.

                "I don't know," he replied. "We ran into her on Ridel. My assumption is that she's an Imperial agent."

                It was as if a lever had been switched; everything inside Leia had stopped working save for the boiling anger that began to rise. She shot a scowl towards the woman and then tugged at Luke's arm, whirling him around to face her.

                "You brought an Imperial agent here?" she demanded.

                Luke was startled by her sudden anger towards him and pulled away from her grasp. He glanced nervously towards the agent and then back towards the princess, he was obviously confused and wondered what he'd done wrong.

                "Yes," he answered. "I thought it'd be best to hand her over to Hi-C for questioning. She wouldn't answer me, but then again I barely had enough training about interrogation to be qualified."  
  


                Leia snorted and stiffened when Luke rested his hands against her shoulders and brought her closer to him in a half hug. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" he asked.

                "Nothing's wrong," she snapped though her anger was beginning to leave her. "I just… well I don't feel safe with Imperials here, that's all."  
  


                "Don't worry, I'll watch over her," he soothed. "I… have a feeling that she's important. Just a while ago I discovered she was Force… strong."  
  


                "Force strong?" she asked.

                "I really can't think of a way to word it, but basically she was just strong in the Force, I could feel it since I met her, but I wasn't certain," he smirked. "I'm not good at that kind of stuff."  
  


                That explained it. Luke's sudden caring for the woman was caused by the fact that they shared something in common. Leia tried her best to scowl, but failed miserably. She instead sighed and made a dismissive gesture.

                "Fine, if you want to be with this woman, then do whatever you want, you have my permission," she replied tersely.

                "Yes, ma'am," Luke teased and offered a mock salute. 

                His attention was already turned on the Imperial when Leia left. She paused at the door, staring at him with lingering regret and deep down, a jealousy.

*~*~*~*~*

                The shadow of a demon chased after her with unwavering speed, engulfing the entire sky behind her and it was miraculous how Mara was able to keep ahead of it. Inwardly, she knew that this was a dream but primal instincts told her to continue running and she obeyed them without a second thought. 

                Since it was a dream, the young woman was able to continue running faster than she could imagine without the need to slow down. Though that was also the same result for the shadow. No matter how fast she ran she couldn't escape it. 

                He came at him out of nowhere, as if springing from the ground, he just appeared before her. Though dreams did not have physical properties, Mara still thought by the limits of force. She therefore collided into him, sending the two sprawling to the ground, if there had been one.

                "Luke?" she exclaimed and remembered of the shadow. She quickly glanced behind her but was instead staring at an endless white plane. 

                "We keep meeting like this," the man underneath her commented and then wriggled free. "Especially in the strangest places."

                "This is a dream…" she murmured. She laid a hand on his forehead. "So are you real?"

                The young Jedi shrugged and sat up, taking her hand into his, a wide and almost foolish looking grin had graced his features. His smile almost made the Emperor's Hand blush. She snatched her hand away, but instead of reprimanding him, she stayed silent.

                "I'm pretty sure that I'm real." He replied. "So are we in my dream or yours?"

                "Mine," Mara answered.

                Skywalker was silent once more before something lit in his eyes. Mara caught the change in his expression almost immediately. Though it irked her that he did not seem to want to forfeit his thoughts. 

                "What?" she snapped.

                "Before, you called me Luke." His answer made Mara roll her eyes but he was right, she did call him by his first name. She never before had that kind of familiarity with anyone.

                "I suppose I did," she retorted. "It was just a slip of the tongue, you surprised me."

                "Yeah, I understand," he replied though the subtext of his reply was evident to the Imperial agent.

                Mara was about to rattle off a long explanation about how being surprised could have people saying the strangest things when a memory resurfaced. Luke caught the dangerous flicker in her eyes but was too late to stop her fist from connecting with his jaw.

                He moaned and brought a hand up to his chin it took him a few moments before he was able to speak. "You know, for a dream that hurt a lot more than I would have expected."

                Mara stared at him in surprise. She'd prepared herself for some sort of raging anger. Skywalker was confusing her at every turn. Steeling herself again, Mara quickly buried surprise behind a wall of rage. "That, was for shooting me with a blaster."

                "I deserved it," he conceded and then shrugged as if getting punched in the face was an everyday occurrence. He glanced at her catching her eyes and smiled. "Sorry."

                Deciding a change in subject would be most appropriate, Mara asked, "Where am I, anyway?"

                "Rebel fleet, medical centre, sleeping on a cot last time I checked," Skywalker replied while still rubbing his jaw, it took Mara a moment to decipher his garbled words.

                So she was really a prisoner, she wondered why she felt a sudden surge of worry. She'd been one for quite a while in Luke's custody. No, there was a difference between being Luke's prisoner and the Rebellion's, the first time she'd met him, she knew right away that Luke would never harm her. The Rebellion on the other hand was different, there were those who most likely ranked higher than Luke, that would wish any Imperial, even a suspected agent, dead.

                "Hey." Luke reached out and grasped her hand, pulling her closer to him. "Nothing's going to happen to you. The Alliance would never do anything so stupid."

                "The very existence of the Rebellion is stupid," Mara retorted but despite her anger, she never pulled her hand away. She suddenly realized this and glared at Luke. "And what are you doing here? How is it that we're in each other's dreams?"

                The young Jedi gave a calm shrug and Mara could not deny the fact that it was beginning to deeply irritate her. "I have no real idea, perhaps the Force? It could be pushing us into each other's dreams."

                "The Force? I've heard about it," Mara murmured. She glanced down at their entwined fingers. Fleeting memories of her training resurfaced as she remembered the Emperor having mentioned something about a mystical energy force a few times before, but he'd never given her a clear definition. "It's what gives you Jedi your power right?"

                "Yeah I guess," he replied. His face flushed as he began to look sheepish. "I took a crash course in being a Jedi, there's still a few things that are unclear to me." 

Mara appeared to be skeptical but voiced no further questions on his Jedi training. "So I guess if we just try to wake up, we'll be out of here?" she questioned and gestured around the white ether. "I'm not too much of an open space person."

                Luke's disappointment became evident to Mara and for a brief moment, she wanted to keep him smiling. This wanting made Mara frown. It was very unlike her to care about another's feelings. She glanced up at Luke again who had averted his gaze and seemed enthused with something in the horizon.

                "It's really strange, but this place kind of reminds of Tatooine," he spoke softly. "The endless horizon and the brightness of this place, I wouldn't be surprised if I just turned around and found myself staring at the twin-" As he spoke, Luke did turn and was greeted with the fiery hue of the Tatooine sky during sunset. 

                Mara grimaced as she felt the gritty texture of sand beneath her and that was what told her that this was more than just a dream. She never had a dream that had so much detail in it. This wasn't real, but there was still Luke and everything about him told her that he was no product of her own fantasies. What little she knew of the Force and Luke's explanation made sense to her though it did leave her unsatisfied. She was never the one to venture around without knowledge of what she was doing.

                As the Emperor's Hand, she'd been around many places before and studied about the social structure of quite a few planets and so she was easily able to recognize her surroundings. There were quite a few binary systems in the galaxy, but very few of them had planets that were able to support life. Tatooine was one of those few and she had a suspicion that all of this was just a memory.

                "Quite an impressive sunset," she commended, letting her gaze trail towards the horizon. "I've never seen a binary one before."

                Now Luke was grinning again as he picked up a handful of sand and let it slip through his fingers. "Until a few years ago, I'd never seen a single one," he confessed and watched the sand fall to the ground. "Even now sunsets just don't seen right unless there's two of them."

                "On Coruscant, we have sunsets, but the horizon's obscured by the tall buildings," Mara remarked and swatted at his hand, giving him a scowl. Her gesture caused Luke to grin sheepishly. "But it's beautiful too, all of the buildings seem to glow."

                Beside her, Luke began to chuckle softly. Mara blushed and berated herself for being a fool but perhaps Luke had felt her embarrassment because he'd pulled closer to her. "It's funny, you don't really seem like the type of person to me that appreciates a sunset."

                "I usually don't," Mara admitted. "But it doesn't mean I don't notice. You know, sometimes even Lord Vader stops and watches the sunset too, I've caught him doing it a few times actually."

                The mention of Vader's name brought a heavy gloom between the two. Luke's face twisted into a scowl while his hand clenched into a tight fist. Mara was immediately shameful for bringing up a hard subject and took his balled hand and after forcing it open, she slipped her fingers around his and tightened her grip on it. Luke realized that she was trying her best to comfort him, albeit badly, but the thought was still touching.

                "Tell me about how you grew up," she suddenly asked. 

                Luke stared out into the vast dune sea and knew that he would have been scorching had he not known that this was a dream. Very few of his friends knew very much about his life on Tatooine, there really wasn't much of a story to tell so he really never bothered to give one. And though he'd spent so many years, pining to get off the dust ball, he had to admit that it was sometimes good to be home.

                "I grew up here," he told her and waved a hand around him. "An out of the way outer rim planet that was so small that not even the Rebellion or the Empire took notice of it. I thought I had no future here and you know how small coincidences will eventually pile up to a greater destiny. Everything that's happened to me occurred when one small droid blew its motivator."

                "And here you are," Mara said. "Hero of the Rebellion and number one enemy of the Empire."

                "What about you?" Luke asked when he realized that the conversation would regress back to silence if he didn't make an effort. 

                "I… uh…" Never in her life had anyone asked Mara about her childhood. Though she should have expected it, she couldn't think of anything to tell him. 

                "If you don't want to then you don't have to," Luke reassured her. "It'd just be nice to know."

                "Well I grew up on Coruscant," Mara replied. "And I trained and that's about it."

                Luke snorted but didn't press Mara anymore. Obviously she felt uncomfortable divulging information to people and it'd probably been a miracle for her to tell him anything. For a long moment the two stood in silence before Luke felt that familiar tugging in the back of his mind. He found it harder to stay still and even Mara's grasp on him was beginning to weaken.

                "I think I'm going to wake," Luke said and turned to face her. "But… before I go, I want to know one thing: your name."  
  


                Mara opened her mouth to protest when she saw the pleading look in Skywalker's eyes. Something inside of her was suddenly compelled to make him smile and so she relented. Leaning forward, she whispered her name into his ears. "You may call me Mara Jade." 

                Luke pulled away with his eyebrows arched. "Mara," he repeated and smiled. "It fits you."  
  


                "Don't tell anyone," she told him sharply. "Or I _will_ kill you."

                Laughing, Luke held a hand up in the air and gave a curt nod. "Alright then, your secret's safe with me and I prom-"

                And he awoke.

A shout out goes to the following for reviewing:

Déjà vu, Dulcea, Prince Luke Skywalker

Favourite Review for Chapter 2: Deja Vu

*Waiting to learn what in space Mara is doing...*   
  
*Waiting...*   
  
*Waiting...*   
  
*WAITING...*   
  
*WAITING...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!*   
  
WELL!?!?!? WHEN DO WE GET TO KNOW!?!? SOMETIME THIS CENTURY??? Maybe.....Tomorrow? *checks her schedule* Oohh, tomorrow's not so good. Going out of town...Monday. Monday's good. Monday's really good. Lots of time. Lots of good.   
  
From the fictional mouth of Oliver Twist, "Please (*snips out the "sir" since you might not appreciate it*), I want some more..."

*~*~*~*

Honestly Vu, you must be making it a personally goal to become my favourite reviewer. And I guess posted a month too late from what you'd hoped *g*. And no, I don't mind being called sir at all. Hopefully I'll have the next chapter up sooner than I did with these two. 


	5. Chapter Five: Doubts

~A note from Jedi Master JA

I've got this update written a whole lot sooner than I expected, that's good right? Anyway, school's been going easy on me nowadays, I just had a whole bulk of projects lifted from my shoulders so finding time to write updates won't be so hard. Actually I better not say anything else or I'm gonna jinx it. Heh. And oh yeah, give Deja Vu a nice pat on the back for being my wonderful beta reader. Though I do think she went overboard with the commas. 

*~*~*~*~*

Chapter Five: Doubts

                "Hold still please."   
  


                Mara obeyed the gentle commands of the 2-1B and sat still. She watched as the slim medical droid extended its claws and began to peel the large bacta wrap from her side. The droid tediously did its work in a manner that was too slow for her liking. Eventually the bacta wrap was taken off and the droid left Mara alone so that it could tend to other patients.

                "Well, look who's awake."

                The Emperor's Hand glanced up to see Luke, with a large grin plastered on his face, approaching her bedside. In a very childish manner, Skywalker bounded across the room and landed on the end of the cot.

                "Feeling better?" he asked. 

                "Much," she replied, suppressing the urge to smile at Luke's antics. "Though I would have felt even better if you hadn't shot me in the first place."  
  


                "It was in self-defense!" Luke exclaimed and ducked as Mara swung a pitiful fist in his general direction. Chuckling, Skywalker moved closer to her and rested a hand on her bare knee. Dressed only in a thigh-length medical gown, Mara felt almost bashful. 

                "That's the excuse you give, of course," she retorted, trying her best to hide her embarrassment. 

At first glance, Mara had come to the conclusion that Luke was in a pleasant mood, with his foolish looking grin and sparkling eyes. But a second study had told her that he was fighting hard to hide something that was troubling him.

                "What is it?" she asked, there was a touch of concern in her voice.

                Luke pulled his hand away and averted his gaze. He felt his cheeks warm, and chanced a glance towards Mara out of the corner of his eye; she was still staring at him. Rolling his eyes, Luke took in a deep breath and replied. "Well, I came here to play the messenger. Hi-C wants to interrogate you as soon as you can stand on your own two feet."

                After Luke told Mara, he waited in silence for a response as it took the Imperial agent quite a few moments before she could speak. For an awkward moment, Mara had remained silent, staring at the ceiling. In the back of her mind, she noted how often she found herself staring at it. Another question soon surfaced: why exactly was she so nervous? The answer came to the Emperor's Hand quickly: she was just being a coward. After all, what could the Rebellion do to her? Inflict pain on her? Or keep her locked up until she starved to death? Perhaps the Empire would do something so sickening, but she wouldn't believe that Luke would serve a group that could be that horrible. 

                _So why am _I_ serving the Empire? _

                Mara pushed the thought aside and focused her attention on Luke, who was watching her intently. She smiled tightly at him and reached out to take his hand, resting hers on top of his, and squeezing it gently.

                "How does tomorrow sound?" she asked.

                She saw him break into a smile but she could still see the worry in his eyes. Deep inside, Mara understood the reason why she felt so attached to him. What would the Emperor think if he knew how she was feeling now? Mara wouldn't let herself think of the punishment Palpatine would inflict on her. This emotion, this _caring_ would have to go. 

                "It'd work," Luke replied, still holding onto her hand. 

                But with Luke around, it was going to stay.

*~*~*~*~*

                The dueling droid was opposite of the Dark Lord, holding its lightsabre in classic guard position. It moved from side to side, never staying still for a single moment, and like the droid, the Dark Lord moved about, stepping lightly with his lightsabre extended in one hand. 

                It was the droid that made the first strike. It stepped so lithely towards the Sith Lord that one would have been shocked by its grace. But the liquid movements of the droid did not distract Vader. He was as attentive as ever, and though his large bulk denied him the ability to dodge from a strike, it _did_ give him the strength he needed to meet the oncoming blow. He brought his sabre up and was barely fazed by the jolting hit as the two deadly weapons made contact. Both weapons seemed to shriek in protest, but neither the droid nor Vader took notice. They kept their weapons locked, continuously circling each other.

                Long ago, Vader's skill in lightsabre dueling had been mostly reliant on his speed and agility, but that time had passed, and now with his enhanced cybernetics the Dark Lord had to rely merely on brute strength and skill, and so far both attributes had not failed him. He focused on his power and began to force the droid backwards, the machine faltered as Vader pushed on until the droid finally broke the lock and jumped backwards, escaping a swing from Vader.

                The Dark Lord began stalk the droid like a predator, and stepped back as it tried to make a forward thrust that nearly seared his cape. Darth Vader had to take another step backwards as the droid continued to press on, forcing him onto the defensive. 

And as offensive and defensive positions were changed throughout the duel, one man stood by and watched the two continue their battle. Vader finally gained the upper hand and with one almost lazy swing, he bisected the droid in half. Its weapon clattered to the ground, and with nothing to depress the activation button the sabre's dead man's switch kicked in, causing the weapon to automatically switch off.

                Deciding that such an impressive display of power needed praise, the lone being began to clap, not fearing the Dark Lord's reaction. Vader took no notice in his clapping, instead switching off his weapon and turning to face the person. After being subjected to the Dark Lord's stare for over two minutes, the being ceased his clapping and bowed his head in respect.

                "Lord Vader," he addressed the Sith Lord with a nod.

                "Something is bothering you, Jix," Vader stated as he strode past his personal agent. Silently he entered the large chamber of his castle.

                Jixton Wrenga nearly rolled his eyes at Vader's bluntness, but remembered just in time how Vader reacted towards heavy disrespect, suppressing the urge. It could be annoying to have a Sith Lord as an employer at times; it was tough to try to conceal thoughts that Vader shouldn't pick up on if Jix wished to live a long and happy life.

                "Maybe," he shrugged and leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest. "It doesn't really matter, though I _am_ a bit curious why you called me here, Lord Vader. I've got places to be, you know."

                "Perhaps," Vader replied still not facing the Corellian. "But I pay you a large sum of money every month, Jix, and when I call for you, I expect for you to be punctual, _not_ two hours late." The Dark Lord finally turned to face Jix. 

                Realizing that the Dark Lord's mood was not as tolerable as it usually was, Jix arched his eyebrows and smirked. "So what's bothering you, Lord Vader? You're not in your usual chirpy mood today. Upset that I got through your security system again?"

                The Dark Lord raised and nearly clenched his fist in his customary Force strangle-hold, and for a second Jix feared that Vader would try to choke him like he usually did when he got annoyed. Not that he was afraid of death, but getting the life choked out of him was a large annoyance. To his sudden surprise, Vader abruptly dropped his gloved hand, and the power and confidence he seemed to radiate lessened.

                "Whoa!" The Corellian exclaimed. "Something _is_ bothering you."

                "What's bothering me is your inability to cease speaking," Vader snapped.  "I have an assignment for you: Skywalker."

                Jix slowly nodded his head. "No surprise there. I was wondering when you'd ask for me to take care of the kid."

                The invisible talons quickly found their mark after the Corellian's impertinent comment, taking hold around his throat. He choked and collapsed onto his knees, hands wrapped around his throat, trying to free himself from the invisible grasp. 

                "Skywalker is not to be harmed," the Dark Lord hissed, and with that said he released his balled fist and watched without emotion as the Corellian fell to the ground. "The Emperor has surely sent agents out by now to keep an eye on him, not to mention a few enemies of the Empire. Palpatine's current Hand, Mara Jade, has not been sighted recently and I'm concerned about her whereabouts. For Skywalker's safety, you will find him and protect him from a distance."  
  


                Slowly rubbing his neck and propping himself on his elbow, Jix stared at the Dark Lord, clearly perplexed. "Bodyguard duty?" he asked. "Now that's a first…"

                "Do you have a problem, Jix?" Vader asked, pointing a finger at the Corellian in warning. 

                "No… of course not…" Jix mumbled and made a large effort to get back on his feet. "Any idea where this Skywalker is?"  
  


                "Skywalker's close friend, a Captain Solo, you are aware of _his_ current situation?" Vader asked. He waited for Jix to give an affirmative nod before continuing. "Solo will soon be arriving on Tatooine, and Skywalker is sure to follow. Wait there for him."

                Shrugging, Jix headed for the exit. "Easier said than done," he replied. "Your boy Skywalker's gonna be safe."

                "Don't let your usual arrogance get the better of you this time Jix," Vader warned. "I sense… that another element has introduced itself."

                "Any idea what it is?" Jix asked.

                Instead of answering, Vader turned away from the Corellian, making his reply evident. Jix sighed and rolled his eyes. Turning away from the Dark Lord, he exited the chamber.

*~*~*~*~*

                They had come for her after she had been served her meal, but Mara had been wary and not even touched the food. It was several minutes after the meal had been served when five guards had entered the medical bay and, without a word, gestured for her to follow. Mara knew then that she was going to be interrogated. 

                As she was marched down the corridor, the Emperor's Hand couldn't help but feel that small well of fear begin to expand, though she did her best to fight it down. Deciding that she needed something to distract her from her coming interrogation, she began to scan the area around her. There were very few people in the corridor they were in, making Mara wonder if the Rebellion kept their frigate minimally staffed. 

                Mara glanced up when she felt a familiar presence pushing itself into her mind. She smiled as she recognized the feeling and turned her gaze to her right to catch a glimpse of Skywalker, who was near the end of the corridor. His pace quickened once he realized she'd acknowledged his presence and she felt her smile growing into a grin. Most of the guards gave their respects by addressing his rank when he approached them, but aside from the usual pleasantries they ignored the young commander completely.

                The knowledge that Luke was nearby to give her support renewed Mara's strength. She was able to brave the interrogation without showing any fear. It turned out that all her fears had been for naught. Her interrogation was in actuality little more than a simple questioning. Mainly her interrogators wondered about her ties to the Empire, and Mara had to repeat several times that she was not related to the Empire in any way. She refused to give them any information about her or about her mission, and in the end the Rebellion High Command had little information. Though in his frustration, the man who'd been interrogating her had ordered for her to be put into a prison cell instead of left in the med-centre, and Luke had volunteered to escort her. 

                He'd quickly rushed to her side and made sure her hands were still bound before roughly grabbing her forearm and nearly dragging her out of the room. Mara made no struggle as Luke led her through the frigate and finally into a small detention centre, where he gently pushed her into a cell.

                "Hold on a sec," he spoke to the guards. "I need to speak to the prisoner for a moment." None of the other guards questioned him, and Luke stepped inside the cell, closing the door behind him. 

                Mara watched him silently as he studied the room and then gestured for her to sit. "There aren't any bugs in this place," he reassured her. "I just scanned it."

                "You can use the Force to do that, too?" Mara questioned, seemingly impressed.

                Luke grinned at her. "You can use it for a lot of things."

                Mara returned his smile and took a seat on the metal bunk provided in the cell. "Too bad I don't have your power. It could have been helpful."

                Luke's expression became serious as he regarded her. By now, Mara was able to recognize the look on his face. She'd spent only a few weeks with him, but Luke was easy to read when he wasn't paying attention to how he showed himself. Something was troubling him deeply and Mara could have easily guessed that it had something to do with her. 

                "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?" Mara asked. Luke eventually would have come out with the truth later, but Mara disliked seeing him upset. 

                Slowly, Luke shrugged and clasped his hands behind the small of his back. "I was just wondering why you didn't tell them the truth," he admitted. "Do you intend to stay here as a prisoner forever?"

                "Do you think they'll keep me here forever?" 

                Luke shook his head. "No," he confessed. "Not likely, but perhaps for quite a while. Can you see yourself spending an entire year here, or even longer? Just tell them what they want and you can go."

                The thought of being stuck in the same cell struck Mara hard; she'd never thought of being locked up for a year. Never before had she been taken prisoner, but she'd always just assumed she could escape. She was close to escaping on Skywalker's ship, but what was an Imperial agent against a Jedi who had the same power that fueled him as Palpatine? 

                "I can't," she replied and suddenly flopped against her seat, wincing slightly when her head banged against the metal bunk. Luke seemed amused for just a moment before he slowly reached her side. He went into a kneeling position, gently lifting her head and checking for an injury. 

                "Why not?" he asked as his fingers ran through her hair. Mara closed her eyes and turned away from him. She cared for him, but she had a duty to carry out, and after that she would have to go back to Palpatine.

                "I have an obligation to keep," she replied while staring at the wall. "I obey the Empire."  
  


                Luke reluctantly pulled his hand away and rested it on his knee. There was something wrong about what she said. Perhaps it was the deep sense of regret he felt. The young Jedi suddenly understood.

                "You still haven't given up," he murmured. "You still want to kill that man."

                He felt Mara's humiliation. She hated what she was doing, he understood that much, but he still couldn't decipher the reason why she did something she loathed so much. He slowly stood and began heading for the door.

                "Luke." She called for him.

                The Rebel commander stopped in mid-stride and glanced at Mara over his shoulder. 

                "I don't do this because I want to," she said as she began to sit up, one hand resting on the back of her head, the other resting on her knee, clenched into a fist. "It's… complicated."

                "Is it for money?" he asked.

                Mara suddenly shot up, her eyes flaring with anger. Her hand came at him so fast that Luke was almost knocked backwards. The young Jedi stumbled, one hand gripped at his cheek while the other was held up in defense. Though Mara made no move to strike him again, she stared at him, the hand that had slapped him still raised. Her expression frozen in shock, it seemed as if for a time the two were paralyzed in disbelief. Finally Mara registered her attack and moved away from him, that well of humiliation becoming so deep that it seemed ready to consume her. 

                Though her attack hurt, Luke felt no anger. By all rights, he should hate her, but there were no negative emotions. All he felt at the moment was a desire to comfort the woman. He reached towards her, resting a hand on her shoulder. Mara stiffened at the touch, but finally caved in and allowed Luke to pull her into a hug. The two stood there in silence before Mara pulled away.

                "You should leave," she murmured. "Never come back. You're in danger when you're around me."

                "Mara," Luke began.

                "No, just get out," Mara snapped. "You don't know how much I care for you, and how it kills me every time I realize that I've hurt you, that I can't make you happy."

                Mara stopped and suddenly found that she was blushing a deep red. She was no longer able to face the young Jedi, and turned her back on him. Luke hesitated, wondering what the best course of action should be, but when he tried to reach towards Mara, he found the way blocked. The Imperial assassin didn't want to see him so much that she was even able to block him from her mind.   
  


                "I'm going to come back," he told her. Mara made no move to acknowledge his words. Her stiff posture seemed to relax when she heard the loud clang of the cell door being locked.

*~*~*~*~*

                After his encounter with Mara in the prison cell, Luke had spent most of the day in a haze, trying to figure out what he'd done wrong and what Mara's words meant. She said he cared for him; the words made him warm with embarrassment. 

                _"You don't know how much I care for you, and how it kills me every time I realize that I've hurt you, that I can't make you happy."_

                 Didn't Mara realize that just being with her, _talking_ with her, made him happy? Admitting that she cared for him had made him happier than he thought he could ever be. 

                Luke was unable to pull his thoughts away from the redhead by the time it was lunch, and decided to sit with his friends from Rogue Squadron. The pilots were acting as immature as usual, not taking any notice in Luke's despondent mood. 

                "Commander Skywalker?" 

                Luke glanced up to see a youth standing before him, staring at him in awe. The young Jedi immediately recognized the expression, and felt a sense of dread begin to well. Despite his loathing for youthful rebels such as the boy before him, he couldn't bring up to the courage to chase him away. It wasn't as if it his 'admirers' were intentionally trying to be an annoyance after all.

                "Yes?" he asked.

                The youth looked as if he were ready to leap fifty feet off the ground and through the ceiling. The thought almost made Luke worry.

                "Is it true that you're a Jedi?" he asked. "Did you really face Vader?"

                Before Luke could answer, someone else did. "Whatever Commander Skywalker is, he is still your superior officer and he's a busy man."

                Luke recognized the voice and grinned. Leia approached the table, returning Luke's grin before taking on a serious expression. She turned to face the young Rebel. "I think it's best that you stop pestering him."

                The Rebel blushed heavily and bowed his head before scurrying away. The rest of the Rogues began to hoot and cheer for Leia before returning their attention in trying to see who could squirt out the most water from their nostrils.

                "Thanks," Luke mumbled.

                Leia shrugged and took the empty seat across from Luke, eyeing his meal momentarily before adverting his gaze. Sensing what Leia wanted, the young Jedi pushed his tray towards her and shot her a smile.

                "This makes us even," Leia replied, beginning to poke at the food with her fork. "Though maybe I should consider revising it."

                "It tastes better than it looks," he reassured her. "Though you must not be eating regularly if you're resorting to cafeteria food."

                "It's been a busy week," she admitted. "Especially with that Imperial assassin you brought in, to false Imperial sightings. All this pressure is enough to make you turn to the dark side."  
  


                The two rebels shared a small chuckle; it felt good for the both of them to relieve their tensions by taking comfort in each other's presence.

                "So why are you here?" Luke asked. "I get the feeling that this is more than just a short break."

                Leia appeared visibly annoyed, rolling her eyes and pointing her fork at him. "Can't hide anything from you now, can I?"  
  


                "You could try," Luke replied. 

                "Well, I got a call from Lando a few days ago," Leia answered between a mouthful of food. 

                Luke suddenly felt his excitement rise. He rested both hands on the table and leaned forward in anticipation. "And?" he asked. 

                "Boba Fett's on Tatooine," she replied, smiling slightly. Luke's reaction mirrored hers when she'd heard the news. "You can go rescue him now."  
  


                Instead of jumping out of his chair and leaping for joy at being able to see his friend again, Luke frowned. "What do you mean by 'you'? You're coming too."

                Leia shook her head. "I can't," she murmured. "There's too much going on here that's too important for me to miss."

                "So you're just going to stay?" he exclaimed. "But what about Han?"

                "I'll be there," she murmured. "I'll be there to rescue him. I have to be, but you'll need to go on ahead, Lando might need your help just in case things get rough."

                Luke understood the logic behind Leia's words, but he still didn't like the thought of going back to Tatooine alone. It was distressing how he was always left alone in the end, but swallowing up his dejection, Luke nodded and forced himself to smile.

                "Alright," he replied. "I'll go back. Don't worry though, we won't start the rescue without you."  
  


                Leia's face broke out into a grin. Reaching across the table, Leia gently took his hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. "I knew that I could count on you," she said. Luke merely nodded, though his mind was on other things.

*~*~*~*~*

                It'd only been two days since Mara had been locked up in her cell, but by the time the second day came, Mara was ready to jump the next person that came to her door and escape.  Though what thoughts of escape she had were quickly brushed aside when she felt the familiar stirring in the darkest part of her mind. She lay perfectly still, glancing up as the ceiling while the link was being established.

                _Master._ She spoke up first.

                _This mission has taken you longer than expected, Mara Jade._ The Emperor seemed to hiss, not even taking the time to greet her.

                _My Master, forgive me,_ Mara replied. She felt herself tense because she knew that the Emperor would very likely punish her for her failure. _I failed to kill Ardock. There was Rebel interference, and they captured me._

                There was silence and Mara wondered if the Emperor was planning her punishment. She waited for his reply, which eventually came after a few moments. 

                _And where are you now?_ he asked.

                _The Rebel Fleet_, Mara replied, as a suspicion began to form in the back of her mind. _The Rebel High Command has interrogated me, but I gave out no information._

                _Perhaps your failure will be most beneficial. Tell me, is Skywalker near you?_ he asked.

                _Yes_, Mara replied, trying her best to block her memories of the day before. She didn't need the Emperor seeing them.

                _Stay where you are for a few more days, then escape. There will be an attack soon,_ he informed her. 

                _You were able to discern where I am, my master?_ Mara asked.

                _Perhaps you were not able to figure out your location, my Hand, but I was able to sense where you are. Now Mara Jade, do as I command you. Your failure will be forgiven…this time._ Mara felt the sense of darkness disappear as her Master cut off their link. She suddenly found herself smiling, relieved that she wouldn't be punished. 

                Though her smile was quickly wiped from her face when the door to her cell slid open and in stepped Luke. His expression was grim as he regarded her as if she were some filthy object that he didn't want to be near. It was gone after a few moments passed.

                "What is it?" she asked while sitting up.

                "I felt something," Luke replied while still keeping a wary eye on her. "It was wrong, dark and… I thought it was coming from you."  
  


                Mara shrugged. "I was just sleeping until you interrupted me. I guess you kept your word after all."

                "I try to keep them," he replied. "I've been thinking you know, about what you said."

                Mara bowed her head and berated herself for blushing. Luke didn't pay attention to her embarrassment and continued. "At first you know, what you said made me happy because, to tell you the truth, Mara, I care for you a lot too. You really did make me happy, but if what you say is true, and that I cause you such grief, then I don't want to make you feel so terrible. I guess what I'm saying that I'm leaving soon and I'm not going to be seeing you anymore."

                Mara's head came up. "Leaving?" she asked. She suddenly stood up and moved towards him, but stopped when she saw that he was moving away. "Luke, what I said before, I was just being over-dramatic. I was upset, I was angry at you, and I was… scared. This is all very new for me."

                "Well, to tell you the truth, I never met a woman that I cared for who returned the same sort of caring to me," Luke admitted, feeling his cheeks warm. "I'm pretty stupid at stuff like this."

                "We can help each other out then," Mara replied, stepping forward again. She smiled when she saw Luke did the same. She reached forward and took his hands, squeezing them gently.

                "I'm still going to leave," Luke told her. "I've gotta go to Tatooine; my friend's there and he's in a lot of trouble so I'm going to help him."

                Mara nodded still smiling. "Because that's what a Jedi does, huh?" she asked.

                Luke shook his head, "No," he replied. "That's what a friend does." 

                The same feeling that Mara felt whenever Luke tried to do something self-sacrificing ate at her, but Luke with that Force power of his seemed to sense her embarrassment and pulled her towards him, pressing her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. 

                "I can teach you," Luke offered. "…Teach you how to be a Jedi."

                The Emperor's Hand pressed her lips against his cheek, taking pleasure in their intimate contact. "I'm no Jedi, Luke," she murmured.

                "Think about it," Luke told her as he pressed his lips against her forehead. "I'll come back, tell me then."

                A memory flitted to the forefront of Mara's mind: the Emperor was going to attack, and he wanted Luke too. She was certain that the attack would happen in a few days, and her Master would certainly be upset if he found out that Skywalker wasn't there. Mara couldn't explain why, but deep down she didn't want Luke to be captured but he was a Jedi and the Emperor would only kill him or, a thought that was even worse, turn Luke into someone like Vader. 

                "You should go now," Mara replied. "You don't want to be late."

                Luke stared at her, confused by her sudden change in feelings, but he voiced no protest. Nodding his head, he turned and went for the door, pausing before he exited. "Think about my offer," he said. "Someone like you can break away from Empire and do good."

                Mara smiled at him and gave a small nod, waiting until he left. For all she knew, this could have been the last time she'd ever see him again.

*~*~*~*~*

                The doors to the throne room slid open, and though it was one of the grandest chambers of the Imperial Palace, at the moment it was dark save for the light that came from the room's single window. It was in front of that window that Emperor Palpatine, the most powerful man in the galaxy, sat waiting for his servant. 

                Darth Vader did not disappoint the man, he hastened his pace, and when he was only a few metres from the Emperor's throne, he went into a kneel, resting both hands on his right knee as he bowed his head. There was silence as Palpatine regarded his right hand and without a word said, he turned his chair away from his apprentice. 

                "The Emperor's Hand has found the Rebel Fleet," he said. 

                There was a smile on Palpatine's face as he felt Vader's aggravation. He waited for the Dark Lord to speak and, as always, Vader delivered. 

                "Then I will go immediately to take care of the Rebels, my Master," he rumbled.

                "Also with the fleet is your son, Lord Vader," the Emperor said, turning his throne to face Vader and gauge the Dark Lord with both the Force and with his sight. 

                "Then he will be captured, my Master," Vader replied. Visually he was as stoic as usual, but the Emperor could sense the trouble in his heart. 

                "Be sure to take a few prisoners for public execution as well, Lord Vader," the Emperor replied with a small cackle. He made a dismissive gesture with his hand, and waited for the Dark Lord to leave before returning his gaze to the city outside his window.

*~*~*~*~*

                "You know, I heard Skywalker went back to Tatooine."

                Mara's eyes snapped open as the approaching voices became louder. She sat up and strained her ears. The voice was familiar...After a moment of concentration she identified it: it belonged to the guard that always served her meals.

                "You know how easy a target that would make him?" 

                The other voice she didn't recognize, but that didn't matter. What she cared about was what they were talking about. They were speaking of Luke's being a target, which meant that he was in danger. She pressed a hand against her chest as her worry for the young Jedi began to mount.

                "We should have just taken him out when we got the chance," said the first man, sounding almost wistful.

                "Us and a Jedi? Yeah right," the second one snorted. "Besides, all those big shots on Tatooine like Jabba will probably be the ones that take him out."

                _Oh Luke…_ Mara stood up and stood by the cell door, waiting for someone to come with her next meal. The Emperor _did_ give her orders to escape, and what better time than this? If she got out then she could steal a ship and go to Tatooine. If Luke was in danger, then she would be there to protect him, and she could try to take him along with her to Coruscant and show him her home. 

                Mara heard the sound of the automatic locks being released, and coiled her legs, getting ready to attack. The guard opened the door, not even bothering to look in. Mara smirked at his carelessness and brought her hand up. With one swift blow, the meal server collapsed to the floor. Mara shoved her boot into his friend's abdomen before he even had time to shout, and the kick forced him backwards. With one hard punch, he was on the ground.

                Mara dragged both of the unconscious bodies into her cell and without any hesitation she began to strip the first guard of his clothes. 

                _Skywalker… I'll be there.****_

*~*~*~*~*

Special thanks to:

Moonbug, Renee, Jacen200015 and Deja Vu for reviewing.

Favourite Review:

Actually I think I won't do that anymore since Deja seems to love to go all out with her reviews, heck just read the one she did for chapter 4. 

Anyway, I really appreciate the reviews that I'm getting, as I've said before, I write for myself, but its nice to know that some people like what they're reading. Thanks guys. 

Next on Chapter Six: (Yeah I'm gonna do the preview thing instead of a favourite review thing *glares at Vu*)

Vader receives word from a certain personal agent that his son is no longer with the Rebel Fleet and to say that he's a little angry is making an understatement. The Dark Lord unleashes his anger full force on the Rebel Fleet and Princess Leia once again finds herself in a familiar situation. 

Cool L/M Quote:

YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER 

"No, not like that. _My_ decisions. _My_ reasons."

-Mara Jade, The Last Command: when that Ol' 'ghost' of Palpy is pestering.


End file.
